Venezuela withdraws from the ICC, accusing the Court of targeting the Global South

Caracas notified the United Nations on Friday of its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, denouncing an institution it considers biased against Africa and Latin America. The ICC reiterated that Venezuela remains obligated to cooperate with it for another year.

Venezuela officially withdrew from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, July 25, by sending a notification to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The government described its decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute as "firm and irrevocable."

Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia announced the news on the social network X. He accused the ICC of primarily targeting African and Latin American countries, denouncing what he called "lawfare" against the Venezuelan people. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez echoed this sentiment a few hours later during a military ceremony broadcast on public television, referring to a case of charges being brought against countries of the "Global South."

The Hague reacted with restraint. The ICC expressed regret over the decision while noting that it does not take immediate effect. Article 127 of the Rome Statute stipulates a one-year period from the date of official receipt of the notification by the UN Treaty Office, a notification which the Court indicated it had not yet received. During this period, Caracas remains a State Party and is still obligated to cooperate with ongoing investigations and proceedings, including the one concerning alleged crimes against humanity, currently being conducted by a team from the Office of the Prosecutor.

This break had been brewing for several months. In December, the Venezuelan National Assembly, dominated by Chavistas, unanimously passed a law aimed at ending the country's adherence to the Rome Statute. The president of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, denounced the Court's alleged ineffectiveness and its alignment with foreign interests. This law was passed just days after the Prosecutor's Office closed its Caracas office, citing a lack of significant progress in implementing the principle of complementarity.

Venezuela signed the Rome Statute in 1998 and ratified it in 2000. Its relations with the Court have undergone several shifts since then, from the opening of an ICC office in Caracas in 2022 to the Court's rejection of complaints filed by Caracas against US sanctions. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this cooperation will officially end in one year.