Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro shaking hands with International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan before a meeting at Miraflores palace in Caracas on November 1, 2021. Photo: Marcelo Garcia/ Venezuelan Presidency /AFP.
Venezuela has rejected the request of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor, Karim Khan, to resume the investigation of alleged human rights violations.
According to the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry, there was a statement published this Saturday, affirming that, “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects the decision, adopted by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Ahmad Khan, to request authorization for advancing with the investigation from the Preliminary Trial Chamber.”
Since the preliminary examination was launched and an investigation began, Venezuela has provided, more than, ample and sufficient information. It was stated that Venezuela, through its competent institutions, has responsibly demonstrated its ability to investigate allegedly punishable acts against human rights.
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According to the statement, in April 2022, Venezuela requested that prosecutor Khan refrain from exercising his jurisdiction in favor of the country’s sovereign justice system. An act in accordance with the provisions of article 18.2 of the Rome Statute. Especially considering the primacy of national jurisdiction, not to mention the subsidiary and complementary nature of the ICC jurisdictional system.
In this context, the memo criticized the ICC prosecutor’s prejudiced perspective. Regardless of the information offered and the fluid exchanges, it argued that, the ICC echoes the warmongering campaigns of Washington, seeking to not only politicize, but also weaponize, the issues of justice and human rights.
In addition, the document assured that Venezuela would appear before the Preliminary Trial Chamber to uphold the truth and defend the dignity of the Venezuelan people. In doing so they will continue to demonstrate the consistent, productive work of the state’s authorities regarding alleged crimes against humanity.
In September 2018, the now defunct Lima Group asked the ICC Prosecutor’s Office, based in Hague, to investigate alleged crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela. Argentina, Colombia, Chila, Paraguay, and Peru formed the Lima Group, over which the conservative Mauricio Macri presided (2015-2019).
In March 2021, Argentina withdrew from the Lima Group and, therefore, withdrew from the ICC complaint it filed through the Lima Group. Colombia’s newly appointed President, Gustavo Petro, stated his desire to withdraw from this highly politicized effort. An effort only possible thanks to the intervention of the White House, that coincidentally is not is not a signatory of the Rome Statue; the founding document for the ICC.
During an official visit to Caracas, in November 2021, the ICC announced the opening of an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela. Simultaneously, they publicized a memorandum of understanding with Venezuela, signed jointly by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan.
(HispanTV) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/MF
