On 13 July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed to disable and dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC), including “brick by brick” if necessary, escalating Washington’s long-standing enmity towards the court into an explicit push to cripple its operations.

That threat coincided with an internal crisis at the court. On 24 July, 82 of the court’s 125 member states parties voted to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan over alleged workplace sexual misconduct involving a junior staff member.  

The court’s governing Bureau concluded that Khan had committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty, while a panel of independent judges found that the allegations had not been established beyond reasonable doubt.

Khan denies the allegations, while his lawyers argue that the process was procedurally flawed and subject to external political influence. They intend to challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the vote.

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