Venezuela notifies UN of withdrawal from ICC, alleging 'bias'

July 24 - Venezuela's foreign minister said on Friday the country has formally notified the United Nations of its "irrevocable" decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, which had been conducting a multi-year investigation into members of its armed forces and other officials.

The government justified the move by alleging a "geographical bias" within the court, claiming it disproportionately targets nations in the Global South, specifically across Africa and Latin America, Felix Plasencia said in a post on X.

Echoing his words, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said the institution had been used to target the country.

"The International Criminal Court has been so heavily politicized to attack the Venezuelan people and the Venezuelan state that we do not believe in that type of organization or institution," Rodriguez said during a public event.

The move had been expected since December, when Venezuela's national assembly voted - a month before the U.S. removed former President Nicolas Maduro from power - to repeal a law ratifying the Rome Statute, paving the way for the withdrawal.

The court, which was established to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression when member states are unwilling or unable to do so themselves, has been investigating alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela.

In 2020, the ICC said there was a reasonable basis to believe civilian officials, members of the armed forces and pro-government individuals had committed crimes against humanity in Venezuela since at least 2017.

Karim Khan, who became ICC prosecutor in 2021, opened a formal investigation later that year, a move the Venezuelan government rejects.

In January 2025, the ICC closed its office in Caracas, citing a lack of cooperation from the Venezuelan government then led by Maduro, who has been replaced by Rodriguez. She has become a close ally of the Trump administration, which has said it would seek to dismantle the ICC.

The withdrawal also came the same day ICC member states voted to dismiss Khan as prosecutor following allegations of sexual misconduct, two diplomatic sources told Reuters. Khan denies the allegations.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said 82 of the court's 125 member states voted in favor of his removal.

Venezuela's withdrawal from the ICC comes as its post-Maduro transition remains heavily shaped by Washington. U.S. forces seized Maduro in January and brought him to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges, but the Trump administration has not announced a timetable for new Venezuelan elections.

Trump on Friday said Venezuela was not ready to hold elections, while praising Rodriguez's leadership.

"As far as the elections in Venezuela, they're not really ready for them yet, but boy, a lot of progress has been made. Delcy's been doing a fantastic job," Trump told reporters at the White House. REUTERS