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MANCHESTER, England (CN) — Karim Khan, the British lawyer who pursued an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was suspended Friday by Britain’s legal regulator over a case involving accusations of sexual misconduct.
The interim suspension adds to mounting pressure on Khan, a prosecutor who has already been sidelined by the ICC and sanctioned by the United States.
The Bar Standards Board (BSB), which regulates barristers in England and Wales, announced Khan’s suspension will take immediate effect and will be reviewed by an independent panel.
“Barrister Karim Khan has been suspended from practice by the Chair of the BSB’s Independent Decision-Making Body,” the regulator said in a statement. “Under the BSB’s Enforcement Regulations, the interim suspension must now be considered by an Interim Suspension Panel at a hearing within the next four weeks.”
Khan, who investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, has denied all accusations of wrongdoing but stepped aside last year as an investigation was underway.
In response to the suspension, lawyers representing Khan said he “unequivocally denies all allegations of impropriety.”
Law firm Carter-Ruck Solicitors said he “acted at all times fully in accordance with his professional obligations.”
The lawyers said the Bar Standards Board’s decision stemmed from the June 8 decision by the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties, the ICC’s governing body, to suspend Khan while member states consider disciplinary proceedings.
The ICC’s member states are now conducting disciplinary proceedings that could determine whether Khan permanently loses his position. The assembly has called a July 24 special session to decide whether to remove Khan.
Khan’s law firm also criticized the bureau for overruling an independent panel of judges.
“Our client highlights that an independent judicial panel, appointed by the bureau itself, came to the unanimous conclusion that the evidence and factual findings by the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight ‘did not establish misconduct or breach of duty under the relevant legal framework’. Nevertheless, the bureau — an executive and political body — has purported to substitute its own assessment for that of the independent judges it appointed,” the statement said.
It added, “Mr. Khan’s legal team is taking all necessary steps to challenge the decision of the bureau, protect his rights and ensure that due process is upheld.”
The announcement comes less than two weeks after the International Criminal Court’s governing body suspended Khan from his role as chief prosecutor while allowing its 125 member states to decide whether he can remain in office.
The back-to-back suspensions mark a steep fall for Khan, 56, a lawyer who became one of the world’s most recognizable international prosecutors after pursuing arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Hamas leaders.
The case has become one of the biggest crises in the ICC’s history because it has unfolded as the court faces political pressure from countries such as the U.S. and Israel.
The charges first emerged publicly in 2024, when a female staff member accused Khan of nonconsensual sexual conduct. Documents reviewed by The Associated Press described incidents during official travel and at locations connected to Khan’s work.
Khan stepped aside from his duties in May 2025 while a United Nations investigation continued.
The evidence has produced conflicting conclusions.
U.N. investigators found evidence supporting the complainant’s account, while an independent panel of judicial experts later concluded the material was not strong enough to support a legal finding of misconduct.
The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, prosecutes individuals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide when national authorities are unwilling or unable to act.
Khan increased the court’s profile during his tenure after taking office in 2021.
He secured an arrest warrant for Putin over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and later sought warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif over “reasonable grounds” that they “bear criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Those decisions sparked fierce opposition from Israel and some U.S. lawmakers.
The U.S. later imposed sanctions on Khan and other ICC officials over the court’s investigations involving Israel and previous investigations touching on U.S. actions abroad.
Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.
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