The Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) voted Friday to remove Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan from office over sexual misconduct allegations from 2024. Khan’s lawyer, Tayab Ali, denounced the vote in a statement. He said that the investigation found no misconduct, including sexual misconduct, against Khan. Ali’s statement also claimed that Khan was not permitted to make submissions and was excluded from the session, and that they would challenge the decision.

Khan, a 56-year-old British barrister, had been temporarily removed from his duties in June, pending Friday’s vote. Assembly President Päivi Kaukoranta announced that 82 of the 125 states parties found that Khan committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty. Kaukoranta countered Ali’s claims, stating that the assembly fully respected Khan’s due process and that the investigation did find evidence supporting the misconduct allegations. The Assembly’s oversight body commissioned a UN Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation into the allegations, which ran for over a year. It centered on a former aide who said Khan subjected her to non-consensual sexual acts. Khan has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His removal is the first of a sitting chief prosecutor in the court’s 24-year history.

The removal comes as the ICC faces significant external pressure, particularly from the United States. Khan issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, along with warrants for Hamas leaders. The Trump administration subsequently sanctioned Khan and other ICC personnel over the warrants. Khan’s dismissal does not affect the cases against Netanyahu and Gallant, because only ICC judges can withdraw warrants.