Trump-sanctioned ICC prosecutor pressed assault victim to recant: Report

• ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan faces allegations of pressuring an accuser to recant sexual harassment claims, which he has denied. The ICC learned of the allegations but did not act due to the victim’s hesitance.
• Amid these allegations, Khan announced arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza. It drew condemnation from Israeli allies, including the U.S.
• President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the ICC. Trump criticized its jurisdiction and actions against the U.S. and Israel, as neither country is a party to the Rome Statute.

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A British prosecutor who sought international criminal charges against Israeli and Palestinian leaders allegedly harassed a woman. She claimed he sexually abused her and then tried to get her to deny the matter.

Karim Khan is a British attorney who has served as chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. He allegedly bombarded his accuser to recant her sexual abuse claims, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.

What were the allegations?

Sources tell the British news outlet that Khan repeatedly pressed his alleged victim for more than five months to back away from the allegations of sexual harassment she had accused him of. He allegedly pushed for her to write a letter disavowing the claims. 

Khan has repeatedly denied the accusations.

The ICC was made aware of the harassment claims against Khan from a third party in May 2024. However, the ICC didn’t take action due to the victim’s hesitance to cooperate with the investigation. An October 2024 statement from the president of the Assembly of States Parties acknowledged the allegations of misconduct.

“The Court has a zero-tolerance policy towards prohibited conduct, such as harassment, including sexual harassment, discrimination and abuse of authority,” said President Päivi Kaukoranta.

Amid these allegations, Khan had announced arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

How did the US respond to the warrants?

The filing brought swift condemnation from Israel’s allies, including the United States. President Donald Trump announced sanctions against the ICC in February.

“The ICC has, without a legitimate basis, asserted jurisdiction over and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the United States and certain of its allies, including Israel, and has further abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant,” the announcement said. “The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC.”