International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan, attends a United Nations Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
Michael M Santiago/Getty Images
- ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan faces sexual abuse allegations.
- He was suspended from his role at the international court.
- Khan denied the allegations and rejected the suspension decision.
A key governing body of the International Criminal Court on Monday suspended chief prosecutor Karim Khan as he faces sexual abuse allegations made by a member of his office.
The 21-member bureau of the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) decided to refer Khan’s case to the wider ASP that represents every member country of the ICC.
The bureau decided “by qualified majority... to suspend the Prosecutor from duty with immediate effect pending the final decision of the Assembly of States Parties as the competent decision-maker”, the body said in a statement.
“The bureau emphasises that this suspension is not an indication of the final outcome,” added the statement.
The decision will have little practical impact on the functioning of the court, as the 55-year-old Khan stepped aside in May 2025, taking a leave of absence to fight the allegations that he denies.
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He has already been removed from pleading in the ICC’s most high-profile case against former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.
A special session of the ASP will be convened as soon as possible to discuss the Khan case, according to the statement.
The 55-year-old Briton hit the headlines when he successfully applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over the Gaza war.
The suspension of ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan following a UN investigation proves that this institution is rotten to its core.
Now it is time to cancel the outrageous arrest warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu! pic.twitter.com/X8yWLAncnp
He was among the first to be sanctioned by Israel’s ally, the United States, which expressed outrage over the arrest warrants.
Reuters reported that Khan’s lawyers said in a statement that he rejected the decision in the strongest terms, and repeated he denies any wrongdoing.
“The decision is unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence,” the statement said.
Sources told Reuters earlier that a report by United Nations investigators found a “factual basis” for the allegations of sexual misconduct made by a female aide and that witness accounts “lend support to her claims”.
A chief prosecutor needs to be known for the truth. If the ICC bureau has repudiated Karim Khan’s denials, it shreds his credibility & raises questions whether he should continue to contest the charges as opposed to resigning for the benefit of the court. https://t.co/iMD8rQ5cgv
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) June 9, 2026However, a second report by three judges that analysed the UN report found the evidence insufficient to establish the truth of the allegations “beyond a reasonable doubt”, they added.
The ICC’s governing body will send its conclusion on to all 125 ICC member states, which will vote on Khan’s fate in a special session convened at a later date.
English (US) · 