The prosecutor’s office of the International Criminal Court Thursday said that it would open an office in Venezuela to aid its investigation of allegations of crimes against humanity in the country.
The announcement follows the end of a second visit to the South American nation by ICC prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan. He was previously in Venezuela in November of last year, during which time he opened the initial investigation into the situation in the country. At the end of the November visit the ICC and Venezuela signed a memorandum of understanding promoting cooperation between the two entities as they move forward. At that time Venezuela disagreed with the ICC conclusion that the preliminary evidence was enough to proceed with an investigation.
Nevertheless, the country committed to cooperating with the ICC. During the second visit, the country agreed to allow the ICC to open an office in Caracas in order to facilitate the investigation and provide technical assistance to further the investigation. Such assistance will include training and advice to strengthen domestic legislation in the area of crimes against humanity, and to help identify additional areas in which domestic authorities can enhance their abilities to administer justice.
The investigation was spurred by a referral in 2018 from six other countries to the ICC, alleging crimes against humanity in the region, including murder, rape, torture, and forced disappearances. It was the first time a referral had come to the ICC from a group of state parties to the Rome Statute concerning the situation in the territory of another state party. The referring countries were Canada, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, and Peru.
Prosecutor Khan expressed his gratitude to Venezuelan authorities for their cooperation with his office, and especially to president Nicolas Maduro Moros, with whom he held “straightforward and productive discussions.” In addition to opening an office, the ICC and Venezuela will work toward organizing meetings and conferences on international criminal justice in Caracas beginning in 2023.
