International Criminal Court's members to vote on firing prosecutor Khan over alleged misconduct

Member states of the International Criminal Court are set to vote on Friday on whether to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan over allegations of sexual misconduct, a decision that comes at a sensitive moment for the tribunal and its leadership.

The secret ballot, due at the United Nations headquarters in New York around 3 pm local time, follows months of internal dispute and renewed pressure on the court from the United States. According to the feed summary from Dawn Home, Khan, 56, denies wrongdoing. The allegations have already damaged the ICC’s standing, and the vote is expected to test both confidence in the prosecutor and the court’s ability to withstand political headwinds.

The court’s governing bodies have reportedly recommended Khan’s dismissal, saying he committed serious misconduct, but it remains unclear whether member states will follow that advice. To remove him, an absolute majority of at least 63 of the ICC’s 125 member states must vote in favor.

The matter has taken on added significance because it comes just a week after Washington launched what has been described as a renewed diplomatic effort to undermine the ICC. The US has argued that the court threatens American sovereignty, and a State Department official said last week that no diplomatic options were being ruled out. The US has already imposed sanctions on 11 senior ICC officials.

The allegations against Khan were made public more prominently last week, when a junior ICC staffer identified only as Sarah spoke to CNN and repeated her claim that she had a non-consensual sexual relationship with the prosecutor. She said there could be no consent where there was such a power imbalance. Khan’s lawyers rejected the accusation, saying he denied any sexual relationship of any kind with the alleged victim. They also said the process that led to Friday’s vote was unlawful, unfair and unsupported by evidence.

The legal defense has pointed to findings by a panel of independent judges, who reportedly said there was not enough evidence to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt after a UN investigation. Even so, the issue has widened existing divisions inside the court.

If Khan is dismissed, the move could be viewed by critics as a sign that political pressure has influenced the ICC, especially after he pursued arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Israel, which is not a member of the court, has rejected those warrants. A dismissal would also trigger a process to choose a new prosecutor, a step that is not expected to be completed before early next year.

If he survives, Khan would remain in office but under a cloud, and opponents of the court would likely continue using the episode to question its credibility. Either outcome is unlikely to end the broader turmoil surrounding the institution, which was created in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

The report is based on a monitored public feed and reflects information attributed to Dawn Home and Reuters in the supplied summary.

Source: Dawn Home - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017553/international-criminal-courts-members-to-vote-on-firing-prosecutor-khan-over-alleged-misconduct