Reacting to the acting Venezuelan government’s decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), as confirmed on 6 August, Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s Americas Director, said:
“The Venezuelan government’s regretful decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute is the last step in a long string of efforts to avoid scrutiny and accountability for some of the most serious crimes under international law.
The Venezuelan government’s regretful decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute is the last step in a long string of efforts to avoid scrutiny and accountability for some of the most serious crimes under international law.”
Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s Americas Director.
It bears reminding authorities that withdrawing from the Rome Statute in no way affects the ongoing criminal investigation by the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) into crimes against humanity committed in the country prior to this decision, nor of any other events before 24 July 2027. It does, however, signal the acting government’s disregard for victims’ rights to truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-repetition.
For many years, Amnesty International has documented grave human rights violations and crimes under international law being committed by Venezuelan authorities under a policy of repression that seeks to silence dissent. The organization’s conclusion that some of these crimes could amount to crimes against humanity has been echoed by the
OTP
and the UN international independent
Fact-Finding Mission
(FFM). The formal withdrawal of Venezuela from the Rome Statute makes the renewal of the FFM’s mandate during the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council in September-October more crucial than ever before.
There are thousands of victims of the Venezuelan government’s policy of repression. They have not, and will not, give up on their rights. The avenues for truth and justice they have so courageously sought and o
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