ICC war crimes prosecutor takes leave amid sexual misconduct inquiry
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, currently pursuing war crimes cases against the leaders of Israel and Russia, has abruptly stepped aside while under investigation himself amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Karim Khan, a British attorney posted at the Hague since 2021, informed the court Friday that he would take leave from his duties until the inquiry into his personal behavior concludes, according to Fadi El Abdallah, spokesperson for the global court.
In an email to staff reviewed by The Washington Post, Khan said that “escalating media reports” had led him to make the decision.
“My decision is driven by deep and unwavering commitment to the credibility of our Office and the Court, and to safeguard the integrity of the process and fairness to all involved,” Khan wrote in the email.
Attempts to contact Khan through his office were not immediately successful.
Khan’s decision to step aside follows a complaint of repeated unwanted sexual contact from a woman who worked for him at the ICC prosecutor’s office. Khan has denied the allegations.
Documents reviewed by The Post indicate that the allegations against Khan involve incidents spanning roughly a year that occurred both in the Hague, at the prosecutor’s office and the home Khan shared with his wife, and on work trips to the United States and other countries.
Khan is also accused of pressuring the alleged victim not to pursue a complaint against him and retaliating professionally against other ICC staff members who aided the alleged victim.
Recent reports published by the Wall Street Journal and Drop Site News were the first to detail the claims against him.
Even if Khan’s removal is only temporary, it is a significant blow to the court. Under Khan’s leadership, the prosecutor’s office has pursued a number of politically charged arrest warrants, including for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom the ICC have implicated in atrocities committed in Ukraine and Gaza, respectively.
According to El Abdallah, the spokesperson, the ICC’s deputy prosecutors would assume the work of Khan during his absence.
Khan’s pursuit of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Israel’s former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, as well as the leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas, put considerable international pressure on Khan and his team at the Hague, including from the Trump administration.
In January, soon after his return to office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on the prosecutor, accusing the court of engaging in “illegitimate and baseless actions” by targeting “our close ally Israel.”
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