Member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday voted to dismiss Karim Khan as prosecutor following allegations of sexual misconduct, two diplomatic sources told Reuters.
According to the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, 82 of the court's 125 member states voted in favor of the prosecutor's removal.
Khan, 56, denied any wrongdoing and his lawyers have called the decision by the court's governing body that led to Friday's vote unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said that in voting to dismiss Khan, the international community rejected Khan's decision "to scapegoat Israel in an attempt to divert from his own misconduct."
"Karim Khan believed that by launching a political witch hunt against Israel and issuing a politically motivated arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu, the world would ignore the grave sexual misconduct allegations against him. He was wrong," Danon said.
"Those who attempt to prosecute Israel will not escape accountability. They will also lose the trust of the international community. The attacks against Israel, which were intended to distract from his disgraceful conduct, did not save Karim Khan, and they will not help [New York City Mayor] Zohran Mamdani either," he added.
Venezuela notifies UN of withdrawal from ICC
Venezuela has formally notified the United Nations of its "irrevocable" decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said on Friday.
The government justified the move by alleging a "geographical bias" within the court, claiming it disproportionately targets nations in the Global South, specifically across Africa and Latin America, Plasencia said in a post on X.
Rubio decries 'lunatics' at court
During a visit to the Philippines on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were "lunatics and crazies involved in the ICC," and there was no way any US political or military officials would ever go on trial at the court, reiterating previous criticism.
The US, which is also not a member, has already imposed sanctions on 11 ICC judges and prosecutors, including Khan, citing the ICC's arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and a past probe into US troops in Afghanistan.
Officials from the court's governing body have said Khan should be dismissed because he committed serious misconduct by having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior staff member, according to documents seen by Reuters.
For Khan to be fired, an absolute majority of at least 63 of the court's 125 member states had to agree in the secret ballot held at a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York.
France said on Thursday it would vote in favor of the removal of Khan, who has been suspended since June, after being on voluntary leave since May 2025 while awaiting the outcome of the internal investigation.
The Netherlands, which hosts the court in The Hague, has also said it would support his dismissal.
Election process begins
Khan's accuser, a junior ICC staffer, spoke publicly for the first time last week in an interview with CNN in which she repeated her allegations that the prosecutor had a non-consensual sexual relationship with her.
Lawyers for Khan told Reuters he denied "any sexual relationship of any kind" with the staff member.
Khan's firing immediately triggers the election process for a new ICC prosecutor who is not expected to be voted in before next year.
Any active ICC warrants will remain in place because only ICC judges have the authority to withdraw warrants.