Two Women Speak Out About Sexual Abuse Claims Against ICC Chief Prosecutor

What Is This Story About?

Imagine the world has a special court — like a referee for countries — that tries people accused of terrible crimes. The top lawyer in charge of that court is called the chief prosecutor. His name is Karim Khan.

Recently, two women said that Khan did very bad things to them of a sexual nature. They shared their stories on TV for the first time. Here is what happened, explained simply.

Who Are the Two Women?

• Sarah: A lawyer who worked directly for Khan. She is 39, from Malaysia, and is still an employee at the court. She worked as Khan’s special assistant from 2023 to 2024.
• Patricia (not her real name): A woman who worked for Khan much earlier, back in 2009 as an intern. Her face was hidden in the interview.

Both women talked to a TV reporter named Christiane Amanpour on CNN.

What Did Sarah Say?

Sarah said Khan’s behavior was like “an escalation of attempts” — meaning he slowly pushed boundaries over time, not just physically but emotionally too.

She said one time, during an official trip to Colombia:

• Khan came into her hotel room.
• She pretended to be asleep.
• He put his hand down her leggings, groped her, and put his tongue in her ear.

Important: Karim Khan says these allegations are not true. He denies them completely.

Sarah had stayed anonymous until now. Her claims first became known in late 2024 and caused big trouble for the court.

What Did Patricia Say?

Patricia said that in 2009, when she was an intern, she had to work at Khan’s house. She said:

• Every time she was there, he kept coming on to her.
• He groped her, grabbed her, kissed her face, and touched her hair.
• He tried to get her to do intimate things with him.

She first shared her story with a newspaper called The Guardian last year.

What Does Khan’s Side Say?

A lawyer for Khan, named Sareta Ashraph, said:

• These allegations are not new.
• Khan denies all of them fully.
• The full set of evidence shows a very different story than what was shown on TV.

Khan’s other lawyers say the process to punish him is politically motivated (meaning people are doing it for political reasons) and “procedurally unfair” (not done in a fair way).

Ashraph also pointed out that the interviews happened just one week before a big vote about Khan’s job, and said all the evidence was already given to the countries deciding his future.

Why Does This Matter Right Now?

The court has 125 member countries that help run it. Big things are happening:

1. Last month, the court’s leaders suspended Khan after finding he did serious wrongdoing linked to Sarah’s claims.
2. Next week, those 125 countries will meet at the UN in New York.
3. They will hold a special vote on July 24 to decide if Khan should be removed from his job.

Khan was elected in 2021 for a 9-year term to lead the court’s prosecution team, which investigates and tries people for horrible crimes.

Was There a Plot Against Khan?

Some of Khan’s representatives suggested Sarah’s claims might be a trick by enemies to make him look bad. Why? Because in 2024, Khan tried to get arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defense minister.

But papers seen by The Guardian show the investigation found no proof that Sarah was used by any outside group or spy agency.

Sarah, who is Muslim, said:

• If there was any hint she was a spy, she would have been fired.
• She made her complaint only because of what he did to her.

Important: The official review found no evidence Sarah was part of any plot by intelligence agencies or other third parties.

Summary

Two women — Sarah and Patricia — spoke on CNN about sexual abuse claims against Karim Khan, the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Sarah said he attacked her in a hotel in Colombia. Patricia said he mistreated her as an intern in 2009. Khan denies everything. His lawyer says the full evidence tells another story. The court suspended him, and countries will vote soon on whether to remove him. An investigation found no proof Sarah was part of any outside plot.

FAQ

1. What is the International Criminal Court (ICC)?
It is like a world court that tries people accused of very serious crimes, such as war crimes, when countries cannot or will not do it.

2. What does the chief prosecutor do?
The chief prosecutor leads the team that investigates crimes and brings cases to trial at the ICC. Khan was elected to this job in 2021 for nine years.

3. Did Karim Khan respond to the claims?
Yes. Through his lawyers, he says the allegations are not true and denies them fully. His team also says the disciplinary process against him is unfair and political.

4. What happens next?
The 125 countries that are members of the ICC will meet at the UN in New York and vote on July 24 about whether to remove Khan from office.

5. Are the women’s identities protected?
Sarah used only her first name on TV but is known to be a real ICC staffer. Patricia used a fake name and hid her face to stay anonymous.