Member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are set to vote today, Friday, on the potential removal of the court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, over allegations of improper sexual conduct.
Khan, 56, denies any wrongdoing. His lawyers have condemned the court's governing body's decision to proceed with today's vote, describing it as unlawful, unfair, and unsupported by evidence.
This vote comes amid renewed U.S. criticism of the ICC, which Washington views as a threat to its sovereignty.
If ICC member states vote to dismiss Khan, his supporters may argue that the decision stemmed from political pressure after the prosecutor sought arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Israel, not a member of the ICC, denies committing war crimes and has rejected the warrants, calling them invalid.
Even if the vote does not lead to Khan's dismissal, he may still find himself in a weakened position, providing critics of the court—established in 2002 by the international community to handle war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity—another platform for disapproval.
During a visit to the Philippines on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the ICC as "mad men and lunatics" and reiterated previous criticisms, asserting that no American political or military official would ever stand trial there.
The United States, also not an ICC member, has already imposed sanctions on 11 of the court’s judges and prosecutors, including Khan, due to the ICC's arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, as well as previous investigations into U.S. forces' activities in Afghanistan.
Documents reviewed by Reuters indicate that officials from the court's governing body recommended Khan's dismissal for violating professional rules by engaging in inappropriate sexual relations with a junior employee.
Khan's removal requires the absolute majority approval of at least 63 of the 125 ICC member states during a secret ballot at a meeting held at the UN headquarters in New York.
The vote is scheduled for approximately 3 PM local time (1900 GMT), with the result expected to be announced at 5:30 PM local time (2130 GMT).