Venezuela officially notified the UN of its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court
Kyiv • UNN
Venezuela informed the UN of its irrevocable decision to withdraw from the ICC due to allegations of bias. The court was investigating crimes against humanity, and the withdrawal coincided with a vote to dismiss prosecutor Khan.
Venezuela has officially notified the United Nations of its "irreversible" decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which for several years has been investigating members of its armed forces and other state officials. This was reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
The government explained this step by stating that, in its view, there is a "geographical bias" in the court's activities, claiming that it disproportionately prosecutes countries of the Global South, particularly states in Africa and Latin America. Felix Plasencia wrote about this on social media X.
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez supported this position, stating that the court has been used as a tool of pressure against Venezuela.
The International Criminal Court has been so politicized to attack the Venezuelan people and the Venezuelan state that we do not believe in such organizations or institutions
Such a step was expected since December, when the National Assembly of Venezuela — a month before the United States removed former President Nicolas Maduro from power — voted to repeal the law ratifying the Rome Statute, which opened the way for the country's withdrawal from the ICC.
The ICC, established to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression in cases where member states are unwilling or unable to administer justice on their own, has been investigating alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
In 2020, the ICC stated that there were reasonable grounds to believe that civilian officials, military personnel, and government supporters may have committed crimes against humanity in Venezuela since at least 2017.
Karim Khan, who became ICC prosecutor in 2021, opened an official investigation that same year — a step rejected by the Venezuelan government.
In January 2025, the ICC closed its office in Caracas, citing a lack of cooperation from the then-Venezuelan government led by Maduro, who was later replaced by Rodriguez. She became a close ally of the Donald Trump administration, which has stated its intention to seek the dismantling of the ICC.
Venezuela's withdrawal from the court also coincided with the day when ICC member states voted to remove Karim Khan from the position of prosecutor following allegations of sexual harassment. Two diplomatic sources told Reuters about this. Khan himself denies these allegations.
According to sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, 82 of the 125 member states of the court voted for his removal.
Venezuela's withdrawal from the ICC occurs against the backdrop of the transition period after Maduro's removal being largely shaped by Washington's policy. In January, U.S. forces detained Maduro and brought him to the United States, where he is to face trial on drug trafficking charges. At the same time, the Trump administration has not yet announced a schedule for new presidential elections in Venezuela.