ICC junior lawyer repeats allegations vs. Karim Khan in TV interview

THE HAGUE — A junior lawyer at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday publicly repeated her allegations that Prosecutor Karim Khan engaged in non-consensual sexual contact with her, speaking in her first media interview with CNN.

Khan, 56, has denied the allegations. His lawyer, Sareta Ashraph, told CNN that Khan denies "any form of sexual contact, relationship, consensual or non-consensual" with the woman. Khan's legal team did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

The woman, identified only as Sarah, declined to discuss the ICC's ongoing investigations into Khan but alleged that his behavior escalated over time, involving unwanted touching and groping. She recalled an incident in which she said Khan touched her intimately while she pretended to be asleep.

"There is no way for something to be consensual when you have such a power disparity," Sarah told CNN.

According to documents reviewed by Reuters, diplomats overseeing the ICC concluded that Khan had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior staff member and recommended that he be dismissed. The court's 125 member states are scheduled to vote on July 24 on a proposal to remove Khan from office over the alleged sexual misconduct.

Khan's supporters have argued that he has become a political target following his decision to seek arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli officials over the war in Gaza.

During the interview, Sarah also denied online claims that she worked for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, saying she had undergone extensive security screening before being allowed to work closely with Khan and his predecessor.

"If ever there was even a hint of suspicion that I was a state agent of any kind, I would have been dismissed," she said. -Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Daniel Wallis/Reuters