International Criminal Court investigation in Venezuela

In February 2018, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it would open preliminary probes into alleged crimes against humanity performed by Venezuelan authorities.[5]

In May 2018, a Panel of Independent International Experts appointed by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) concluded that reasonable grounds existed to believe that crimes against humanity had been committed in Venezuela dating back to at least 12 February 2014 and recommended that; the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, should submit the report and the evidence collected by the General Secretariat of the OAS to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC, that he should invite States Parties to the Rome Statute to refer the situation of Venezuela to the Office of the Prosecutor and to call for the opening of an investigation into the facts set forth in the report, in accordance with Article 14 of the Rome Statute.[6]

On 27 September 2018, six states parties to the Rome Statute: Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru, referred the situation in Venezuela since 12 February 2014 to the ICC, requesting the Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to initiate an investigation on crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the territory. On 28 September, the Presidency assigned the situation to Pre-Trial Chamber I.[7] This was the first time that member States had sought an investigation of potential crimes that took place entirely on the territory of another country.[8]

Nicolás Maduro's Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, filed a complaint in the ICC against the United States on 13 February 2020, arguing that policy of sanctions has resulted in crimes against humanity.[9] Prosecutor Bensouda stated that she informed the ICC Presidency of the referral pursuant to the regulations of the court to enable the assignment of the situation to a Pre-Trial Chamber, noting that the two referrals "appear to overlap geographically and temporally and may therefore warrant assignment to the same Pre-Trial Chamber", but "that this should not prejudice a later determination on whether the referred scope of the two situations is sufficiently linked to constitute a single situation".[10]

In September 2020, the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela published their findings and cited evidence of unlawful executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture in the country since 2014. The authors called for further action by the International Criminal Court, along with justice and reparations for the victims and their families.[11]

On 2 December 2020, the Organization of American States General Secretariat released a 145-page report expanding on the 2018 report by the Panel of Independent Experts that concluded there was a reasonable basis to believe crimes against humanity were being committed in Venezuela, noting that since 2018 the crimes against humanity in Venezuela had increased in scale, scope, and severity, while criticizing the failure of the Prosecutor of the ICC to conduct her preliminary examination expeditiously and to open an investigation "despite overwhelming evidence of crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction".[12] Two days afterwards, the Office of the Prosecutor responded that it was aware and that it would study the Organisation of American States report and assuring the Office that it sought to "complete preliminary examinations within the shortest time possible", but regretting "the tone and manner of the report" and that Prosecutor and the Office "would not allow external attempts" to interfere with the process. OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro replied shortly after, declaring that the OAS understood due process and that they had "the utmost respect" for the International Criminal Court, but that three years was far too long "not for the OAS", but for the victims in Venezuela.[13]

On 14 December, the Office of the Prosecutor released a report on the office's year activities, stating that it believed there was a "reasonable basis" to believe that "since at least April 2017, civilian authorities, members of the armed forces and pro-government individuals have committed the crimes against humanity." and that it expected to decide in 2021 whether to open an investigation or not.[2]

In May 2021, Maduro's Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, admitted that Fernando Albán, Caracas councilman who died in 2018 while he was detained in the headquarters of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN), did not commit suicide as initially reported by government officials, but killed, and that during the 2017 Venezuelan protests student Juan Pablo Pernalete was killed with a tear gas canister by security forces, something initially denied by senior officials.[14] William Saab would also accuse the ICC "process of lacking transparency".[15] Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, described the case against Venezuela in the ICC as a "great farce".[16] The opposition National Assembly headed by Juan Guaidó declared that William Saab sought to prevent the ICC from acting and condemned that command chain was not being investigated.[17]

On July 2, the Pre-Trial Chamber dismissed a request for "judicial control" filed by William Saab, who alleged a lack of complementarity and collaboration of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor with Venezuela. The Chamber dismissed the appeal for its inadmissibility and for being clearly premature.[18]

On 4 November 2021 prosecutor Karim Khan announced the opening of an investigation regarding the situation in Venezuela.[3]

On 17 January 2022, the Prosecutor's Office indicated that the administration of Nicolás Maduro had three months to submit its report on investigations into crimes against humanity committed in the country.[19] On 7 April, Tarek William Saab assured that "there is no need" for an investigation by the International Criminal Court.[20]

After failing to provide the requested information, in an attempt to delay the ICC investigation, Venezuela asked Karin Khan on April 15 that his office defer the investigation into possible crimes against humanity, claiming that state institutions were or have investigated such crimes. On April 20, Khan briefed a panel of ICC judges on Venezuela's request, stating that his office would ask the judges to reject the request.[21][22][23]

On 1 November, Karin Khan requested the reopening of the Venezuela investigation, just over six months after Venezuela asked the ICC to defer its investigation, stating that "the deferral requested by Venezuela, at this stage, is not justified, and that the resumption of the investigation should be authorized."[24][25]

In response to the prosecutor's request, the Venezuelan State sent a document on November 10, opposing the direct participation of victims and their representatives and requesting that the investigation be limited to summaries prepared by the ICC's Office of Public Counsel for Victims and only to cases presented by the Office of the Prosecutor. In the document, Venezuela also asks the ICC judges not to allow the participation in the proceedings of Canada, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru, the member states that referred the situation of Venezuela to the Court. The NGO PROVEA warned that the communiqué was part of the Maduro government's dilatory strategy to paralyze the ICC prosecutor's investigation for as long as possible, expressing: "This communication ratifies the Venezuelan authorities' contempt for the victims and their claims for justice, as well as their unwillingness to genuinely comply with the principle of complementarity".[26]