Caracas (EFE).- The Venezuelan government announced on Friday its «firm and irrevocable» decision to denounce the Rome Statute and begin its definitive withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The South American country claims the institution displays a «bias» that has disproportionately focused its work on African and Latin American nations.
«This pattern reveals an international justice system that, rather than being applied equitably, has been instrumentalized to deepen inequalities among peoples and ignore their right to self-determination and sovereignty,» said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia in a statement posted on X.
Plasencia added that, following orders from interim President Delcy Rodríguez, the decision has been communicated to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
He further argued that the ICC’s «bias» is not a mere procedural coincidence, but rather «the reflection of an institution that has placed its mechanisms at the service of interests far removed from justice and the peoples it claims to protect.»
«For this reason, we reject this dimension of ‘lawfare,’ which perpetuates persecution against the Venezuelan people and worsens the inequalities that international justice should be correcting,» he added.
The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Venezuela’s commitment to «a justice system that is genuinely equitable and respectful of the sovereignty and self-determination of nations.»
In December, the Venezuelan Parliament, controlled by the ruling Chavismo party, unanimously approved a law repealing the country’s accession to the Rome Statute. According to Legislative President Jorge Rodríguez, the move was intended to «denounce to the world the uselessness and subservience» of the ICC.
The Parliament passed the measure after the ICC Prosecutor’s Office announced the closure of its technical office in Caracas on December 1. The Prosecutor cited a lack of «real progress» from Venezuela regarding «complementarity,» a principle that requires the country to conduct genuine investigations into the crimes alleged before the tribunal can intervene.
At the time, Jorge Rodríguez asserted that the institution «should serve to protect people, yet it only serves the designs of American imperialism.»
In announcing the closure of its Caracas office, the ICC Prosecutor’s Office clarified that the investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in the country «remains active» and will be led by a team of prosecutors based in The Hague.
The ICC opened its investigation into Venezuela in 2018 following referrals from several countries.
The administration of former president Nicolás Maduro, currently imprisoned in the United Sates, repeatedly attempted to halt the case, arguing that the country’s own judicial system was conducting internal investigations. The Court rejected this position in 2023, authorizing the resumption of inquiries into alleged crimes against humanity committed since 2017.
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