HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS — The office of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Friday that its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has temporarily stepped down from his duties pending the outcome of an investigation into a misconduct allegation. Media reports have cited accusations of sexual misconduct against him.
This development injects further instability into the ICC, which has already faced criticism and US sanctions targeting the prosecutor.
The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services initiated its investigation in November, following reports alleging sexual misconduct by Khan towards a member of his staff. Khan, 55, has denied these allegations.
According to a statement from his office, Khan “communicated his decision to take leave until the end” of the UN internal investigation. During his absence, his deputy prosecutors will manage the office’s operations.
The Wall Street Journal reported that an assistant, a woman in her 30s, informed UN officials that Khan touched her in a sexual manner in December 2023. The newspaper cited testimony alleging that this progressed to him coercing her into sexual intercourse.
After the misconduct allegations became public, Khan stated in October that he would cooperate with any inquiry and refuted any wrongdoing. “It was with deep sadness that I understood reports of misconduct were to be aired publicly in relation to me,” Khan said. “There is no truth to suggestions of such misconduct,” he stated in a message sent to Vivid Voice News.
The British lawyer assumed his position at the Hague-based court in June 2021. Throughout his career, spanning courtrooms in England and Wales and leading cases before international tribunals, he has navigated controversy surrounding his legal work.
His past engagements include defending Liberia’s former president Charles Taylor against war crime allegations in Sierra Leone, representing Kenya’s President William Ruto in an ICC crimes-against-humanity case that was ultimately dropped, and acting for Seif al-Islam, the son of the late Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Khan also secured ICC warrants for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and senior Hamas figures, concerning alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The ICC’s mandate involves investigating and prosecuting genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. While its judgments are binding on member states, the court lacks its own enforcement mechanisms.
Born in Scotland, Khan pursued his undergraduate law degree at King’s College, London. His father was Pakistani, and his mother British; he belongs to the Ahmadiyya Muslim minority. He became a practicing lawyer in 1992 and gained early experience in international law at the former Yugoslav and Rwandan war crimes tribunals from 1997 to 2000.
Later, he represented survivors and relatives of victims of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia at its UN-backed court in the late 2000s. His other roles include a period at The Hague-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon, established to prosecute those responsible for the 2005 assassination of Lebanese ex-PM Rafic Hariri.
As previously stated, Khan “communicated his decision to take leave until the end” of the UN internal investigation, and his deputy prosecutors will run the office during his absence, according to his office’s statement.
The Wall Street Journal‘s report detailed the allegations made by an assistant regarding incidents in December 2023. Following the public disclosure of these allegations, Khan, in October, affirmed his cooperation with any investigation and denied any wrongdoing, stating, “It was with deep sadness that I understood reports of misconduct were to be aired publicly in relation to me,” and “There is no truth to suggestions of such misconduct,” in his communication to Vivid Voice News.
Khan’s career trajectory, from his legal work in England and Wales to his leadership in international tribunals, has often involved navigating contentious issues. His representation of figures like Charles Taylor, William Ruto, and Seif al-Islam, along with his recent pursuit of warrants against Putin, Netanyahu, and Hamas leaders, underscores his prominent role in international law.
The ICC, while empowered to issue binding rulings on its member countries, lacks direct enforcement capabilities. Khan’s background includes his Scottish birth, legal education at King’s College London, and his identity as a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.
His early legal career involved work at the Yugoslav and Rwandan war crimes courts, followed by his involvement with the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
