Two women who have accused the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, of sexual abuse have spoken out about their claims against the prominent British lawyer.<\/p>\n
In an interview<\/a> with CNN\u2019s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, an ICC staffer identified by her first name, Sarah, spoke publicly for the first time about her allegations, which have engulfed the court<\/a> over the past two years.<\/p>\n Sarah, a lawyer who worked directly for Khan, described his behaviour as \u201can escalation of attempts\u201d. She said \u201cit was kind of like encroachments on the boundaries slowly \u2013 not just physically, but emotionally as well\u201d.<\/p>\n She alleged that on one occasion, while on an official visit to Colombia, Khan came into her hotel room. She said that, as she pretended to be asleep, he \u201cstarted to put his hand down my leggings, to grope me, to put his tongue in my ear\u201d. Khan has denied the allegations.<\/p>\n Christiane Amanpour interviews Sarah about her allegations against Karim Khan. Photograph: CNN<\/p>\n A second woman \u2013 referred to by a pseudonym, Patricia \u2013 also spoke to Amanpour, though her face was hidden from view. The woman, who first came forward to the Guardian last year<\/a>, worked for Khan earlier in his career.<\/p>\n She said that while an intern in 2009 she was required to work at his house. She alleged that \u201cwithout fail every time I was there it was a constant onslaught of him coming on to me, groping me, grabbing me, kissing my face, touching my hair, trying to get me to engage in intimate activity with him\u201d.<\/p>\n One of Khan\u2019s lawyers, Sareta Ashraph, said the allegations of both women were not new and Khan continues to deny the claims \u201cin their entirety\u201d. Speaking to Amanpour, she said: \u201cThe complete evidential picture paints a far different picture than there\u2019s been presented here today.\u201d<\/p>\n The interviews come at a critical juncture for both Khan and the ICC. Next week, the court\u2019s member states will convene at the UN headquarters in New York for an unprecedented vote on whether to remove the prosecutor from office.<\/p>\n