A junior lawyer at the International Criminal Court (ICC), identified only as “Sarah” has publicly spoken for the first time about allegations of sexual misconduct against chief prosecutor Karim Khan.
In a recent CNN interview, she detailed a pattern of behavior that involved unwanted touching and groping, stating, “There is no way for something to be consensual when you have such a power disparity.”
The allegations
Sarah recounted instances of escalating harassment including a disturbing claim that Khan touched her intimately while she was pretending to be asleep during an official trip to Colombia. She described his behavior as a slow “encroachment” on both physical and emotional boundaries.
Khan, who has been suspended from his position continues to deny all allegations. His lawyer, Sareta Ashraph, stated that he denies “any form of sexual contact, relationship, consensual or non-consensual” with the accuser.
Impact of power imbalance
Reflecting on her experience, Sarah emphasized the difficulty of her position, explaining, “Mr. Khan was not just my boss, he was everyone’s boss.” She noted that the severe imbalance of power made it impossible for any interaction to be truly consensual.
Impending disciplinary vote
These public comments arrive just before a pivotal moment for the court. The ICC’s 125 member states are scheduled to vote on July 24 regarding a proposal to officially dismiss Khan. This follows a decision last month by the court’s oversight body to suspend him after concluding that he committed serious misconduct.
Defense claims
While the investigation moves forward, supporters of Khan argue that the proceedings are politically motivated, suggesting he became a target after seeking arrest warrants for Israeli officials in 2024.
Meanwhile, Sarah has dismissed online rumors claiming she is an intelligence agent, stating, “If ever there was even a hint of suspicion that I was a state agent of any kind, I would have been dismissed.”
