Former Colombian ruler Ivan Duque providing statements to the press at the entrance of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: Semana/File photo.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—This Tuesday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) authorized its prosecutor to resume the investigation of crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Venezuela by Nicolás Maduro’s government, considering national proceedings insufficient.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber noted that while it sees that the Venezuelan government has taken “some investigative steps,” it considers that Venezuela’s “domestic criminal proceedings do not sufficiently reflect the scope of the full investigation,” particularly with regard to crimes of persecution and those of a sexual nature.
According to an ICC press release, this decision “does not preclude Venezuela from providing material in the future in order for either the Prosecution or the Chamber to determine inadmissibility on the basis of complementarity. Moreover, when an actual case is brought by the Prosecution, a further admissibility assessment may take place.”
#Comunicado| Venezuela manifiesta desacuerdo con decisión adoptada por la Sala de Cuestiones Preliminares de la Corte Penal Internacional (CPI) de autorizar reanudación de la investigación por parte de la Fiscalía de la CPI, en el asunto denominado “Venezuela I”. pic.twitter.com/yGgpbBxhdJ
— Yvan Gil (@yvangil) June 27, 2023
Venezuela reaction
Via a communiqué issued by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on the same day (Tuesday, June 27), Venezuela disagreed with the decision taken by the ICC on this case (Venezuela I) opened by extreme-right former Colombian President Ivan Duque and other like-minded governments belonging to the now extinct Lima Group, created by Washington to diplomatically isolate Venezuela.
Venezuela’s communiqué states that the decision constitutes a maneuver by local and international political operators attempting to resuscitate accusations of crimes against humanity that have never occurred. Thus, the ICC is being utilized as a tool by this movement, promoted by the US government, that weaponizes the mechanisms of the international criminal courts for political purposes.
Venezuela Signs Second Memorandum of Understanding with International Criminal Court
Venezuela’s statement was as follows:
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expresses its disagreement with the decision adopted by the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to authorize the resumption of the investigation by the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC in the so-called “Venezuela I” case.
From the very moment the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court initiated the Preliminary Examination in February 2018 and throughout the entire process, Venezuela has denounced the intention to instrumentalize the mechanisms of international criminal justice for political purposes, linked to the strategy of “regime change” promoted by the authorities of the United States of America.
As part of this strategy, national and international political operators have attempted to sustain an accusation of alleged crimes against humanity that have never occurred, based on the deliberate manipulation of a small number of human rights crimes that have been or are being investigated and punished by the authorities of the Venezuelan Justice System.
In this regard, Venezuela regrets that this decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber lends itself to encourage and contribute to this maneuver, which clearly denatures the raison d’être of the International Criminal Court and undermines its credibility as a body of international justice, despite all the information that has been made available to it.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will appeal this decision before the Appeals Chamber, while continuing to make use of the actions provided for in the Rome Statute and International Law to defend the truth and ensure its rights as a Nation, against this offensive that openly uses the institutionality of the International Criminal Court for purposes contrary to its nature and the objectives pursued with its creation.
Caracas, June 27, 2023
Orinoco Tribune Special by staff
OT/JRE/SL
