"the decision adopted by the Special Session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) on 24 July 2026 to remove the Prosecutor from office, having found that he has committed serious misconduct and serious breach of duty, as reflected in the ASP’s press release on the same day ...
The Deputy Prosecutors will continue to provide the leadership, management and direction of the Office of the Prosecutor ....."
The Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court ("the Assembly") held a special session on disciplinary proceedings involving an elected official on 24 July 2026 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The Assembly adopted a decision, by secret ballot, by an absolute majority of 82 States Parties, finding that the prosecutor (Mr. Karim Khan KC) committed serious misconduct and serious breach of duty and removed him from office under article 46 of the Rome Statute.
The Assembly of States Parties is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC. It is comprised of representatives of States that have ratified and acceded to the Rome Statute. The Bureau of the Assembly consists of a President, two Vice-Presidents and 18 members elected by the Assembly for three-year terms.
Khan's removal followed an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. The Bar Standards Board of England and Wales has suspended (on an interim basis) Khan from practice as a barrister - see the BSB statement Mr Karim Khan is suspended from his practice as a barrister.
Mr Khan will of course have the opportunity to defend himself in disciplinary proceedings.
Mr Khan has consistently denied the allegations against him and continues to do so.
Arrest warrants:
Khan became prominent after he applied to the ICC for arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) and Defence Minister (Yoav Gallant) as well as three Hamas leaders (Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh). In November 2024 warrants were issued for Netahyahu, Gallant and Deif.
The warrants were issued even though Israel is not a State Party to the Rome Statute - ICC | Israel and International Law. Although Israel is not a member of the ICC, the State of Palestine (since DDDD recgnised by UK) was granted membership in 2015. Accordingly, the court can investigate Israeli individuals for crimes committed in occupied Palestine, which includes the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The ICC:
A serious problem for the ICC is that the USA is not a State Party and also vigorously opposes the existence of the court. The Trump administration appears to adopt a "might is right" attitude to international law in general and would dismantle the court if it were able to do so.
Against such a background the court appears to have conducted criminal proceedings with immense attention to detail and procedural fairness. Whether procedural fairness has been fully accorded to Mr Khan during the disciplinary process remains a contested point.
An informative article about the court is at International Policy Digest - International Criminal Court: Successes and Failures
Media:
ICC top prosecutor removed over sexual misconduct allegations - BBC News
ICC rejects Israel’s appeal to cancel Netanyahu's arrest warrant | Middle East Eye
What next for the ICC and the Palestine investigation after Karim Khan's removal? | Middle East Eye
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