ICC suspends prosecutor Karim Khan, who obtained arrest warrants for Putin and Netanyahu

The International Criminal Court has temporarily suspended Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan from his duties amid an investigation into allegations of harassment. The decision was made by the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute after a disciplinary hearing and analysis of the materials of an internal UN investigation.

The ICC stressed that the suspension does not mean a final admission of guilt of the prosecutor. The final decision must be made by a special session of the Assembly of States Parties.

Khan’s lawyers have already stated that they consider the decision illegal and lacking a sufficient evidentiary basis. The prosecutor himself previously denied all the charges and suggested that the case could be part of a discrediting campaign.

Karim Khan has headed the Prosecutor’s Office of the International Criminal Court since 2021. It was on his behalf that in 2023 the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Putin and Russian Children’s Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.

In addition, in 2024, the ICC, at Khan’s request, issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant in connection with possible war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

The investigation into Khan is ongoing.