Venezuela begins definitive withdrawal from International Criminal Court

Venezuela announced on Friday that it has begun the process of definitively withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The court had been investigating potential crimes against humanity committed in the country since 2017 under the government of former President Nicolás Maduro.

The ICC formally opened an investigation in 2021 into the actions of authorities during anti-government protests in 2017, which resulted in approximately 200 deaths. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia announced via his X account that, by instruction from acting president Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela had informed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of its "firm and irrevocable decision to denounce the Rome Statute and initiate its definitive withdrawal from the ICC."

Plasencia stated that Venezuela believes the ICC's actions demonstrate a "geographic bias," alleging that the court has disproportionately concentrated its efforts on African and Latin American nations. He described this as a "pattern" that "reveals an international justice that, far from being applied equitably, has been instrumentalized to deepen inequalities between peoples."

The ICC responded by stating it had not yet been notified of Venezuela's decision but expressed regret that the country sought to "step away from the collective effort to end impunity for the most serious international crimes." The Venezuelan parliament had begun the process of repealing the law adhering to the Rome Statute in December 2025, following the ICC's announcement of closing its Caracas office due to a lack of "real progress" in cooperation with the government. Caracas had previously accused the ICC prosecutor's office of "disregarding" its responsibilities.