The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Thursday he refused to postpone his investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela and asked judges for permission to reopen the investigation.
“I let you know yesterday [miércoles] upon the request of the Venezuela Pre-Trial Chamber to stay the proceedings, and my intention to apply for permission to reopen my investigation as soon as possible.”Karim Khan said in a statement.
It further noted that “I have communicated this decision because, after examining the merits of the request for postponement, I have concluded that no new information has been submitted justifying such a decision”.
Caracas estimates that human rights abuses committed during the 2017 crackdown on anti-government demonstrations that left about 100 dead will be punishedprosecuted and convicted by their own legal system.
According to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC based in The Hague, A Member State can formally request that the public prosecutor of this body take over the state’s investigations on its own territory.
In November, the ICC Prosecutor, along with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, announced in Caracas that he was moving from a preliminary investigation opened in 2018 to a formal investigation.
At the same time, The organization and Caracas signed a memorandum of understanding in which Venezuela pledged to take action to allow the unit to operate.
Nicolás Maduro then said that he respected the prosecutor’s decision to open a formal investigation, but disagreed with it.
On March 31, both the court and Caracas agreed to open a court office in Venezuela.
Venezuela’s judiciary accused and convicted law enforcement officials of the deaths of protesters during mobilizations in 2017, but government opponents believe the actions were taken only to avoid an ICC trial.
“The dictatorship has failed in its attempt to feign justice. We trust that there will be no impunity, as this is the only way to obtain compensation for the victims and guarantee that the events will not be repeated,” opposition leader Juan Guaidó wrote on Twitter.
And he added that “the request of ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan to continue the investigation into crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela validates the work of victims, their representatives and civil society on the path to achieving justice.”
The ICC Prosecutor’s request @KarimKhanQCContinuing the investigation into the crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela validates the work of the victims, their representatives and civil society towards achieving justice. pic.twitter.com/mmaD0V82Yo
– Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) April 21, 2022
“They are used to ‘justice’ tailored to them, with institutions loyal to their political schemes of control. The ICC puts them back in their place.”said Henrique Capriles, two-time opposition presidential candidate.
They are accustomed to “justice” tailored to them, with institutions loyal to their political schemes of control. The ICC denies them their place. Our full support and accompaniment to the victims and their families on this journey to true justice.
— Henrique Capriles R. (@hcapriles) April 21, 2022
He pointed that out “Our full support and accompaniment goes to the victims and their families on this journey to true justice.”
Venezuela’s request is in line with the procedure provided for in Article 18 of the Rome Statute, which allows the State to inform the ICC of the investigations it is conducting into the same criminal acts that may constitute offenses falling under the jurisdiction of that Court and to request it allows the agency’s chief prosecutor to refer to this investigation.
It is now up to the Pre-Trial Chamber to decide how to proceedafter Khan had already made his request to continue the investigation, which the ICC’s chief prosecutor recalled “did not agree with the Venezuelan authorities.”
However, the prosecutor has stressed that Venezuela will seek to “commit” to the investigation, “develop greater cooperation” and find ways to “support accountability at the national level.”
“I appreciate Venezuela’s willingness to continue to cooperate with prosecutors, despite their request to postpone my investigation. With that in mind, I will continue to work with Venezuela to advance the implementation of all aspects of the Memorandum of Understanding.”he indicated.
The CPI has launched two preliminary investigations into alleged abuses committed by Chavista forces since April 2017 and more generally into the crackdown on protests against the government of Nicolás Maduro, which Khan met earlier this month to continue delving into the matter.
*With information from Europa Press and AFP.