ICC's Karim Khan suspended from British bar for sexual allegations

by · UPI

June 19 (UPI) -- Karim Khan, chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, has been suspended by Britain's Bar Standards Board for alleged sexual misconduct.

Khan, 56, was already suspended from duty by the ICC on June 9 for the allegations.

Khan had been working toward the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes during Israel's war in Gaza. Khan is a British citizen.

He is accused of trying to silence a woman who accused him of sexual assault. She was a former aide. He allegedly told her that the case against him would jeopardize his work for Palestinian victims.

The suspension will prevent him from doing any legal work in Britain. It will be reviewed after four weeks.

Khan has denied any wrongdoing.

The ICC's 125 member states will vote on the matter in a special session on July 24.

The prosecutor took leave in May 2025 after the allegations surfaced from an assistant who worked for him at the court's headquarters at The Hague, Netherlands. The assistant, a female attorney in her 30s, accused Khan of forced sexual intercourse multiple times in New York, Colombia, Congo, Chad and Paris, and at Khan's home at the Hague.

A Wall Street Journal report said that on a call with his alleged victim, Khan said, "The casualties [of her allegations] will unfortunately be three: you and your family, me and my family and the justice of the victims."

The alleged victim said she was reluctant to complain because she didn't want to lose her job in the important human rights law office. She also said she was worried about paying medical bills for her mother, who was dying of cancer.

The law firm that represents Khan, London's Carter-Ruck, said in a statement: "As he has consistently made clear, Mr. Khan unequivocally denies all allegations of impropriety. He maintains that he has acted at all times fully in accordance with his professional obligations.

"Mr. Khan's legal team is taking all necessary steps to challenge the decision of the bureau, protect his rights and ensure that due process is upheld," the firm said.

Historic June moments through the years

Troops in landing craft approach Omaha Beach on D-Day in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history and turned the tide of World War II. Photo by UPI | License Photo

Read More