The Prosecutor’s Office of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced this Monday that it will close its office in Caracas due to the lack of “real progress” with Venezuela in terms of complementarity.the principle that requires the country in question to seriously investigate the crimes of which it is accused before this court intervenes.
Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang explained in his opening speech to the 24th Assembly of States Parties of the ICC that, despite the sustained engagement with the Venezuelan authorities, The ICC concluded that “real progress remains a challenge,” Therefore, it decided to close the office installed in the country in 2024 to work alongside the Venezuelan authorities.
“Aware of the need to effectively manage our limited resources, we have decided to close our office in Caracas,” Niang said.
Venezuela investigation at the ICC remains active
However, Niang stressed that The investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela “remains active” and led by a team of prosecutors who will continue to work from The Hague.
Caracas always rejected this investigation, arguing that the principle of complementarity had to be respected, by which the international court complements the country’s national justice, does not replace it, and can only intervene if the affected State does not investigate.
The closure of the office marks a turn in the relationship between the ICC and Caracas, which for months held exchanges with the court regarding criminal responsibility for accusations of human rights violations in the country.
Prosecutor Karim Khan said in April 2024 that the opening of that office was a “unique opportunity” to continue advancing investigations into alleged crimes against humanity and create — he noted — a link between the laws and the technical support they will provide to the nation.
The ICC opened the investigation into Venezuela in 2018 following a referral from several countries. The government of Nicolás Maduro repeatedly tried to stop the case, alleging that its judicial system is carrying out internal investigations, but the Court rejected that position in 2023 and authorized the resumption of investigations into crimes against humanity committed since 2017.
