United Nations, Jul 24 (EFE).- The Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court removed Prosecutor Karim Khan from office on Friday over alleged sexual misconduct.
The dismissal was approved by 82 votes in favor, 13 against, and 15 abstentions, comfortably exceeding the absolute majority of 63 votes required, diplomatic sources confirmed to EFE.
The decision was adopted at the conclusion of a special session held at United Nations headquarters in New York, where the 125 States Parties to the Rome Statute reviewed the disciplinary proceedings initiated against Khan.
Khan, 56, was accused of misconduct involving a female staff member.
He has denied having engaged in any conduct that could be described as inappropriate, and maintained that there was a campaign to remove him from office after he requested arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his then-Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, in May 2024.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, welcomed Khan’s dismissal and stated on X that “Khan thought his political witch hunt against Israel and outrageous arrest warrants would distract from serious sexual misconduct allegations. He was wrong.”
Khan’s departure does not automatically bring an end to the Prosecutor’s Office’s ongoing investigations, including the one regarding the situation in Palestine, which will continue to proceed in accordance with the Court’s procedures.
Friday’s decision followed a recommendation made in June by the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties, which proposed Khan’s removal and ordered his suspension while the assembly of member states determined whether he had engaged in conduct incompatible with his office.
The disciplinary proceedings were initiated following an investigation by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) into allegations made by a former colleague of Khan, who reported having been subjected to non-consensual sexual contact between March 2023 and April 2024 during official trips and at premises associated with the Office of the Prosecutor.
The president of the Assembly of States Parties, Finnish diplomat Päivi Kaukoranta, had requested at the opening of the session that the proceedings be conducted with respect for “the privacy of the individual and of the Court as an institution.” EFEjco/mcd
