THE HAGUE, (Reuters) – Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday gave the green light to the prosecution to resume an investigation into alleged human rights abuses by Venezuelan officials.
In their decision, the judges said that while Venezuela is taking some steps to investigate alleged abuses, “its domestic criminal proceedings do not sufficiently mirror the scope of the prosecution’s intended investigation.
Venezuela’s government said in a statement that it disagreed with the decision, which it would appeal within the ICC’s Appeals Chamber.
“National and international political operators have tried to sustain an accusation of alleged crimes against humanity that have never occurred, based on the deliberation manipulation of a small group of human rights crimes that have been or are being investigated,” the statement said.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in November asked judges to reject Venezuela’s demand for a deferral of the case. Caracas had sought the delay to show that authorities were ready and able to conduct their own investigation into alleged crimes committed under the rule of President Nicolas Maduro.
But the judges agreed with Khan that the announced legal reforms were not enough to warrant a delay.
An independent panel of experts of the Organization of American States looking at alleged human rights violations in Venezuela found in a May report that the legal reforms proposed by the Venezuelan government worked to actively shield high-level perpetrators from possible prosecution by the ICC.
