Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro (pictured with Lula in Brasília) announced on Thursday, November 2nd that he would hold a referendum on December 3rd to find out whether his population supports the annexation of the Essequibo region, the two Third of the population makes up the territory of Guyana. If Venezuela puts its wishes into practice, it will violate the UN Charter, which calls for respect for the sovereignty of nations.
But four days after the announcement, Maduro threatened to take over part of the neighboring country it was not the reason for a demonstration by Itamaraty or the Lula government.
Last week, the Venezuelan regime published a list of five questions it would like to ask the population. Two are particularly worrying. “Do you agree with the historical position? does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to resolve the territorial dispute over Guyana?” is one of them.
The International Court of Justice, ICJ, is the main court of the United Nations. This court, created in 1945 by the UN Charter, judges countries (the International Criminal Court, also located in The Hague, judges individuals and is not part of the organization’s structure). All UN members are part of the International Court of Justice, including Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana.
It is therefore strange that Ask the Venezuelan people whether they think they should take the International Court of Justice seriously, considering that the country is a signatory to the agreement that created this court.
The other question Maduro wants to include in his December referendum is…
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