The International Criminal Court’s oversight body in The Hague has concluded that sexual harassment allegations against chief prosecutor Karim Khan are credible and will put his removal to a vote on July 24, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing documents and diplomatic reports it reviewed.
The findings were prepared by diplomats from 21 countries that oversee the court and say Khan committed serious misconduct and should be dismissed. The report is now being circulated among the ICC’s 125 member states ahead of the vote, which is expected to take place at United Nations headquarters in New York.
Khan was suspended about two weeks ago pending the member states’ decision after an 18-month inquiry into claims that he had nonconsensual sexual interactions with a female lawyer in his office. A diplomatic source said the executive bureau of the governing body found serious misconduct and recommended removal.
According to the woman’s testimony, she was a staff member in her 30s who often traveled with Khan for work. She said she asked to meet him to urge him to calm down, but he later summoned her to a suite at the Millennium Hilton hotel near the UN, where he allegedly began touching her sexually, pulled her toward the bed when she tried to leave, removed her trousers and forced her to have sex. She said, "He always held me and led me to the bed. It feels like being trapped." The bureau said the disciplinary process is complete, but its decision and related documents will remain confidential.
