A blow to The Hague: Venezuela withdrew from the ICC; US supported: "We will dismantle it"
The new administration in Caracas officially notified the UN Secretary-General of its withdrawal, accusing the ICC of "geographic bias." The US State Department welcomed the move and harshly attacked the court in The Hague, calling on other member states to withdraw.
Venezuela announced on Friday its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and received praise from the United States for cooperating with Washington's efforts to "dismantle" the court based in The Hague.
In Washington, the decision was welcomed on Saturday, with the US urging remaining member states to follow suit and leave the institution. "The United States welcomes the decision of interim President Delcy Rodriguez and Venezuela to withdraw from the International Criminal Court," it was stated in a message published on the social network X.
Furthermore, the United States praised the cooperation of the new Venezuelan government with their efforts to "dismantle" the court. The statement accused the ICC of failing to achieve results in its investigation against former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, while directing resources against countries with "independent and competent judicial systems" that did not recognize the court's jurisdiction.
"This is a blatant overreach, political bias, and selective enforcement," the statement read, describing the court as unreliable and illegitimate.
It was further noted that Maduro is currently standing trial in a US court for alleged crimes, attributing the process to the leadership of President Donald Trump and the efforts of US military personnel.
"It is time to dismantle the International Criminal Court," the message added, along with a call for all member states to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the court's founding treaty.
"Geographic bias"
Venezuela had officially notified UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the day before of its decision to begin the process of permanent withdrawal. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia accused the ICC of "geographic bias" against countries in Africa and Latin America, claiming it was being used to undermine the sovereignty of countries in the "Global South."
The National Assembly of Venezuela had previously revoked the Rome Statute, thereby paving the way for the withdrawal. The ICC's investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela was officially opened in 2021.
