ICC prosecutor suspended by British lawyers’ regulator
International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan, accused of sexual harassment, has been suspended by Britain’s independent regulator of court lawyers.
Khan was suspended by the ICC’s governing body on June 8, prolonging the crisis at the war crimes court, which is under US sanctions over investigations into the US and Israel.
The Bar Standards Board said on Friday that the suspension, with immediate effect, would be considered by a panel at a hearing within four weeks.
Khan, 56, denies the allegations against him.
His supporters argued that he had become a political target, prompting Israeli officials to issue an arrest warrant for his conduct in Israel’s war in Gaza.
The ICC’s 125 member countries will vote on its fate at a special session of the governing body on July 24.
The ICC, the world’s first permanent war crimes court, was opened in 2002 to prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by nationals of member states or on the territory of its members.
The United States is not a member of the ICC and has imposed sanctions on 11 ICC judges and prosecutors, including Khan, for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant and for a past investigation into US troops in Afghanistan.
Washington has threatened more sanctions against the institution.
After allegations against Khan emerged in 2024, an external investigation was launched by the UN.
In May 2025, Khan went on voluntary leave and his two deputies took over his duties.
The 18-month undercover investigation found “a factual basis” for allegations that a female aide had non-consensual sexual intercourse with a younger staff member, a summary seen by Reuters said.
Khan maintained that he had done nothing wrong and said he would take all necessary steps to challenge his suspension at the ICC.
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