Venezuela to exit International Criminal Court, accusing it of ‘bias’

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing its staff and Reuters, reported that Venezuela has notified the United Nations it intends to leave the International Criminal Court, accusing the Hague-based tribunal of bias against countries in the Global South. Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said Friday on social media that the decision was “irrevocable” and was made under orders from interim President Delcy Rodriguez, according to the report.

Plasencia argued that the ICC’s work has focused disproportionately on African and Latin American states and said Venezuela views the court as undermining sovereignty and self-determination. Al Jazeera noted that the ICC opened an investigation in 2021 into alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Venezuelan government’s response to anti-government protests in 2017. The report also said Venezuela’s National Assembly voted in December to end commitments under the Rome Statute, the treaty underpinning the ICC.

The announcement comes amid broader geopolitical context. Al Jazeera reported that Rodriguez’s government has moved closer to the United States, and that the decision followed remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledging a campaign to weaken the court’s ability to operate. The Trump administration has criticized the ICC and used measures such as sanctions against prosecutors involved in inquiries concerning US and Israeli forces, according to the article.

The move matters because withdrawal from the ICC would affect Venezuela’s relationship with an institution created to prosecute genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression when national courts are unwilling or unable to do so. The article also places Venezuela’s decision within longstanding criticism that international justice has been applied unevenly, especially toward leaders from the Global South.