THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) 鈥� Supporters of the International Criminal Court were trying to chart a course forward on Saturday, a day after the global institution was plunged into uncharted territory following the ouster of its chief prosecutor over allegations of sexual misconduct.
A lengthy and bruising process ended swiftly and decisively on Friday, when a large majority of the court鈥檚 125 member states voted to remove Karim Khan from his post.
The British barrister was accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, , allegations he has steadfastly denied. According to documents seen by the AP, Khan engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman and tried to prevent her from pursuing her allegations.
Khan’s removal comes at a time when the court is already facing daunting challenges, including a campaign by the United States to 鈥渄ismantle鈥� the ICC, which was established to prosecute people responsible for humanity鈥檚 worst crimes.
Supporters of the court are looking forward
Several countries where the ICC has open investigations met together on the sidelines of the event on Friday to discuss the ways out of any potential impasses created by Khan鈥檚 removal, according to three senior diplomatic officials familiar with the discussions.
One of the officials said a number of states began planning for how to move forward before the final votes were tallied.
鈥淲hether Khan is removed or not, we must bring everyone back together,鈥� the official said. They all spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
The vote was surprisingly clear
A special session at U.N. headquarters in New York was scheduled to take all of Friday. Instead, a morning motion that would have made it harder to oust Khan failed and diplomats quickly moved forward to vote on removal, several hours ahead of schedule, according to three diplomats familiar with the proceedings.
Iva Vukusic, a researcher at Utrecht University who has been following the process, said she was surprised by how decisive it was. 鈥淭he numbers indicate that there is more agreement than previously thought,鈥� she told the AP.
Khan鈥檚 ouster comes at an already difficult time
The decision comes at a time when the global tribunal is under enormous pressure. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week that Washington was launching a 鈥渟weeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty.鈥�
Hours after Friday鈥檚 vote, Venezuela announced it would withdraw from the court, saying its work reflects a 鈥渄emonstrated geographical bias.鈥� F茅lix Plasencia, the country鈥檚 foreign affairs minister, made the announcement in a statement.
Trump鈥檚 administration already has brought sanctions against Khan and a dozen other ICC staff in retaliation for investigations into Israeli officials in Gaza and U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.
The allegations became entwined with the court鈥檚 investigation into the war in Gaza, with Khan鈥檚 supporters arguing that the warrants the court has issued for top Israeli officials, including , were at stake.
Palestinian representatives were quick to push back on that narrative. 鈥淭he vote by the Assembly of States Parties to remove the Prosecutor was not a political proxy vote on any Situation before the ICC,鈥� Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi said in a statement.
Khan鈥檚 removal will have no immediate impact on the arrest warrants which can only be withdrawn by ICC judges.
The work of the court will continue
Khan鈥檚 two deputy prosecutors have helmed the office since he stepped down in May 2025. In a statement, the office of the prosecutor said the pair will continue with its 鈥渓eadership, management and administration,鈥� until a new chief is selected.
It is not clear yet when member states will be able to decide on Khan鈥檚 replacement. took nearly 18 months and drew criticism from civil society groups over the lack of stringent background checks on the candidates to ensure they met the requirement of 鈥渉igh moral character.鈥�
There may be more legal proceedings to come
The removal vote may not be the end of the process for Khan. He intends to 鈥渃hallenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms,鈥� attorney Tayab Ali said in a statement.
There is no appeals process for his removal but all ICC staff are entitled to bring complaints to a special labor tribunal based in Geneva.
Khan鈥檚 lawyers criticized the process leading to his ouster, complaining that he was blocked from addressing the session Friday and arguing the regulations had been rewritten to disadvantage him.
On Monday, lawyers and investigators will return to the court鈥檚 headquarters in The Hague with at least some clarity about the future. 鈥淚 hope now the court can move on and focus on its core work of dealing with cases,鈥� Vukusic said.
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