GERMANY PERSPECTIVE

Berlin, July 25, 2026. The removal of Karim Khan is making headlines in the German press as a symptom of an institutional crisis affecting a court that Germany, one of the 125 States parties to the Rome Statute, consistently supports. In an extraordinary session in New York, the Assembly of States parties voted 82 to 13, with 15 abstentions, to remove the chief prosecutor, who had been suspended since June after allegations of "reprehensible sexual behavior" and "serious misconduct," according to the president of the assembly, Päivi Kaukoranta, as cited by the Tagesschau.

The allegations against Khan date back to October 2024, when two former colleagues accused the British national of sexual coercion and abuse of power. According to the FAZ, a commission of three judges submitted a confidential report in December 2025, citing "gaps in the administration of evidence," and concluding that the allegations could not be established "beyond a reasonable doubt" - a report that remained unpublished, as did the subsequent legal opinion. The victim nonetheless reiterated the allegations in an interview with CNN, as reported by the Handelsblatt, while Khan continues to denounce a "smear campaign" related to his investigations into Israeli officials.

Notably, the German press highlights that the FAZ recalls Khan's arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sparked criticism, even among close European allies, "including Germany," which had expressed reservations. Berlin, however, emphasizes, like other outlets, that Khan's departure does not legally affect the warrant or the one targeting Vladimir Putin: only the Court's judges can decide on these matters.

The context is becoming increasingly complex, following the announcement the previous day of Venezuela's withdrawal from the Rome Statute, with Caracas denouncing a "geographical bias" by the Court against Africa and Latin America - an argument that the German press links to the current fragility of the institution, caught between US sanctions, global South distrust, and internal scandal.