Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khanannounced on Tuesday that he asked the court for authorization to continue with the investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
“After an objective and independent evaluation of a significant amount of information provided by Venezuela to date, as well as from other credible sources, I have concluded that the postponement requested by Venezuela, at this stage, is not justified and that the resumption should be authorized. Of the investigation“, the ICC prosecutor said in a statement.
What are the effects and reasons for the announcement?
Among the reasons for supporting the request, he explains that “the independent and objective evaluation” carried out by his office shows that the efforts and reforms in Venezueladespite the fact that “if properly applied, they could offer a margin for hope and change”, they remain “insufficient in scope or have not yet had a concrete impact on potentially relevant procedures”.
The prosecutor acknowledges that, “although the postponement is not justified at this time, this does not mean that the evaluation cannot be reviewed at a later stage of the procedure.”
“I myself am willing and I promise to do so in the face of a change in relevant facts or circumstances,” he says. Karim Khan.
In addition, he assures that he remains “committed to cooperating with the Venezuelan authorities and all other interested parties in the search for the truth.”
The chief prosecutor specified that, after this request, it will be the preliminary questions chamber of the International Court that must decide on the procedure to be followed.
Lastly, he congratulated the Government of Venezuela “for its constructive commitment from the opening of the preliminary examination to date.”
“Regardless of the outcome, I remain committed to engagement and dialogue to explore ways in which we can cooperate to ensure justice for victims in Venezuela,” says Khan.
The chief prosecutor of the ICC announced the opening of an investigation for alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela during an official visit to Caracas in 2021 and at the same time made public a memorandum of understanding with the Government, which he signed jointly with the president, Nicolás Maduro.
The Hague-based court’s investigations address alleged abuses by Venezuelan security forces against opposition members at demonstrations and in jails since April 2017.
What do the NGOs say?
Several NGOs in Venezuela celebrated the decision made this Tuesday by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (CPI), Karim Khan, to ask the court for authorization to continue with the investigation.
Lawyer Gonzalo Himiob, vice president of the NGO Penal Forumtold EFE that the request made by the prosecutor in The Hague, which he describes as “positive”, confirms that in Venezuela “the conditions for an objective, genuine and impartial investigation of the possible crimes against humanity committed are not met.”
“This is good news for the victims because it brings them closer to acknowledging the commission of crimes against them, and it will allow them, eventually, to express themselves before international criminal justice, where, until now, there are more possibilities of finding justice than in Venezuela,” he said.
The director of the NGO Acceso a la Justicia, Ali Daniels, also applauds this decision, which he considers, according to what he told EFE, “totally positive” for the victims and their families, as it confirms that the ICC Prosecutor’s Office “must continue investigating because in
Venezuela there is no sanction for those responsible, exactly the opposite of what the government says.”
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With Eph
#CPI #asks #continue #investigation #Venezuela #effects