Key facts
- ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has been suspended by the court's executive body.
- The suspension is pending a vote by member states on misconduct allegations.
- The ASP bureau disregarded a UN investigation that had cleared Khan of sexual misconduct allegations.
- Khan has faced pressure and threats related to his pursuit of arrest warrants for Israeli officials.
- Khan was sanctioned by the United States, with sanctions also targeting deputies and judges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is in an unprecedented state of uncertainty after its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was suspended by the court's executive body. The decision by the bureau of the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) to suspend Khan came despite a United Nations investigation, which the ASP itself commissioned, having cleared him of sexual misconduct allegations earlier this year. The ASP bureau opted to disregard the judicial panel's findings and make its own assessment.
Khan has reportedly been on leave for over a year. He was previously sanctioned by the United States in 2025, with these sanctions later expanded to include two deputy prosecutors, eight ICC judges involved in the Palestine and Afghanistan investigations, the UN special rapporteur on Palestine, and Palestinian NGOs. Khan has described facing significant intimidation and pressure in connection with his pursuit of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, alleging a "dangerous" and biased campaign by the court's governing body to remove him.
Khan, a British barrister, was elected ICC chief prosecutor in February 2021. His tenure has involved investigating serious international crimes, including seeking arrest warrants for leaders from Myanmar and Afghanistan, and for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The investigation into alleged war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, which Khan is pursuing, was initiated by his predecessor. Khan has stated he received information about being under surveillance by Russian and Israeli intelligence agencies.
During the period leading up to the application for arrest warrants for Israeli officials, Khan reported receiving threats from prominent politicians. He recounted a conversation with US Senator Lindsey Graham, who allegedly threatened him with sanctions, and a call with then-British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who reportedly threatened the UK's withdrawal from and defunding of the ICC if warrants were pursued. Khan acknowledged that such actions could lead to political difficulties for him and the court, given the UK's significant funding of the ICC.