President of the Venezuelan Parliament, Jorge Rodriguez. Photo Wilmer Errades.
The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly (AN), Jorge Rodríguez, highlighted this Thursday, November 4, that International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan came to Venezuela to recognize the Venezuelan government, at the invitation of Attorney General Tarek William Saab.
“The government has always wanted to investigate any improper action in the country against human rights—that is nothing new—but when the truth is known, Venezuela will be able to continue telling the world: we have never knelt and we will never kneel in front of any action of any de facto power that exists on this planet,” Rodríguez said from the floor of Venezuelan parliament.
Rodríguez noted that Khan did not have time to meet with Narnia (Juan Guaidó). “He [Khan] was received by the president of the republic, by the vice president, the foreign minister, the prosecutor, the president of the National Assembly,” Rodríguez said. “Anyone can draw their own conclusions.”
During the regular session of Venezuela’s Parliament this Thursday, the assembly approved a statement in support of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
The president of Parliament proposed to work hard so that the investigation process “incorporates, and forcefully includes the necessity that crimes that have been committed against the people of Venezuela do not go unpunished.”
He affirmed that the provisions of the Venezuelan Constitution must be respected so as not to go to the other extreme, of violating human rights. He also pointed out that it is necessary to respect the investigations carried out by Venezuelan authorities.
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He also recalled that those who promoted hatred in the country must be investigated. Rodríguez expressed the aspiration “that those who called for sanctions, those who trained paramilitaries in Colombia, those who tried to assassinate President Maduro, and those who have promoted hatred for years, do not go unpunished in the country.”
Venezuela’s Parliament agreed to the following:
1. Support the memorandum of understanding signed between Venezuela and the ICC Prosecutor’s Office in Caracas on November 3, 2021.
2. To urge the institutions of the justice system to redouble their efforts to investigate and punish the acts that could constitute serious human rights violations, in accordance with the provisions of the Venezuelan Constitution and international treaties.
3. Ratify the full disposition of the national parliament to undertake the reforms and measures necessary to strengthen the respect and guarantee of human rights in the country, as well as to contribute to the proper functioning of the justice system.
Following a brief visit to Colombia in late October, Prosecutor Khan closed the ICC’s preliminary investigation into the human rights violations committed by successive Colombian administrations.
The deputy Ilenia Medina expressed her opinion on the subject: “It is incredible that the prosecutor has closed the investigation in Colombia. That is a mockery of those killed by Duque and by the Colombian narco-state. They closed an investigation that had been open for 17 years.”
Featured image: President of the Venezuelan Parliament, Jorge Rodriguez. Photo Wilmer Errades.
(Últimas Noticias) by Narkys Blanco
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
