The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court. File photo.
The Venezuelan government condemned the decision of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that rejected the appeal filed by Venezuela against the ruling of the Preliminary Chamber on the alleged crimes against humanity committed by the Venezuelan government (Venezuela I case).
The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Venezuela published an official statement, calling the ICC decision unfounded and motivated by political interests. It condemned the weaponization of the mechanisms of the international criminal justice system for political purposes, based on politically-motivated allegations of crimes against humanity that never took place in Venezuela.
Venezuela rechaza infundada decisión de la Sala de Cuestiones Preliminares de la Corte Penal Internacional, que pretende ocultar la verdad de Venezuela, en un caso evidente de instrumentalización política contra el país. Ha quedado demostrado la politización de este órgano de… pic.twitter.com/DRM2hn3Ipj
— Delcy Rodríguez (@delcyrodriguezv) March 1, 2024
The case against Venezuela at the ICC, known as the Venezuela I case, dates back to 2018, when right-wing former presidents of several Latin American countries who formed the Lima Group filed a complained before the ICC against Venezuela in relation to the US-backed coup attempts of 2014 and 2017 and related events. At that time, Venezuelan security forces contained the violent coup attempts that had triggered destabilization and breakdown of public order throughout Venezuela.
The allegations as well as the legal procedure are vitiated by irregularities. Venezuela was notified of the legal proceedings two years after they were initiated. The Venezuelan authorities have not been provided with accurate information on the incidents under investigation, and the nation has been hindered in its legitimate right to defense. Despite this, Venezuela has cooperated with the ICC by providing all the information requested.
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In addition, both the ICC and the extreme-right Venezuelan opposition have manipulated the number of alleged victims, pretending they number into the thousands. In November 2023, the ICC reduced the number of such cases under investigation to 124, which Venezuelan authorities have dealt with through the national justice system.
The ICC and the alleged victims have not presented evidence on the chain of command, a crucial element in a crime against humanity. The Venezuelan government recognizes that there have been some cases of excessive use of force by security officials, but in all of these cases the government has taken appropriate measures, charging and imprisoning those who were responsible.
Venezuela’s response to the accusations of human rights violations has been meticulous. It has clearly denied the accusations, and has actively collaborating with the ICC and provided solid evidence and arguments in its defense. But only 20% of the information provided by the Venezuelan government has been taken into account by the ICC.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has repudiated this shameful attitude of the ICC against Venezuela, just when Palestine is being victim of true crimes against humanity, unprecedented in modern history, committed by the zionist State of Israel, with US and European backing. The ICC has remained silent about it.
“There is no international justice for more than 30,000 people who were killed,” Rodríguez commented. “More than half of them are children; 20% are women. They are murdering the future of Palestine in front of the complicit eyes of these bodies of international justice.”
ICC’s lack of consideration of the Venezuelan government’s arguments and evidence, the opacity in the handling of the case, and its preference for the Venezuela I case over other cases of real human rights violations, such as the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza, show that the ICC is being used for political purposes in the US-led hybrid war against Venezuela. This is happening at a time when all sectors of the Venezuelan political and social scene have reached a national consensus to maintain stability and order in view of the 2024 presidential elections.
Venezuela will continue to cooperate with the ICC Prosecutor’s Office to strengthen the institutions of the Venezuelan State. However, it will also assert the truth by all means at its disposal despite the persistent politicization of the International Criminal Court.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
Misión Verdad
Misión Verdad is a Venezuelan investigative journalism website with a socialist perspective in defense of the Bolivarian Revolution
