London —
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is under intense scrutiny as member countries prepare to vote this month on whether to remove Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
For months, the United Nations watchdog has investigated claims made by a female ICC employee who worked as a direct assistant to Khan. According to a confidential, leaked copy of a UN investigative report that CNN obtained, she alleged that he sexually harassed her and repeatedly subjected her to non-consensual sexual acts, including groping, attempted kissing and digital and genital penetration. Khan has repeatedly denied those claims.
The allegations against Khan first emerged in 2024. But the woman, Sarah, has not spoken publicly until now. Sarah, a lawyer originally from Malaysia who has worked for the ICC since 2017, said she never wanted to be in this position and described feeling “humiliated.” CNN is only identifying her by her first name, at her request.
“I have no other way to describe it but an escalation of attempts,” said Sarah, who is still employed by the ICC, regarding the alleged sexual misconduct — which she says went on for a year after she started working as Khan’s assistant in February 2023.
