The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khanannounced this Friday together with the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Madureitherprogress to open an office of this court in the country, within the framework of an investigation into allegations of crimes against humanity.
“We already have the location of the office (…) and now we will be able to come to Venezuela more often and work more closely, so that we can help Venezuela with technical assistance, training, so that it can do more to fulfill its obligations,” Khan said, without specifying a date for the opening,
The ICC chief prosecutor made the announcement after signing a second memorandum of understanding with Maduro at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas.
“It is a favorable step. We have achieved a great consensus,” celebrated the socialist ruler for his part. “Venezuela is open, with doors open to the world, to defend our truth (…) above misrepresentations, above manipulations, above lies that are repeated and repeated,” said the president.
A first memorandum was signed in November 2021, when Khan made the first of his three visits to Venezuela and the ICC decided to open a formal investigation for alleged crimes against humanity that have occurred in this Caribbean country since 2017the year in which massive opposition demonstrations repressed by the military and police left more than a hundred dead.
The Chavista government, in turn, promised to take “measures” to guarantee “the administration of justice.” Establishing an ICC office in Caracas was agreed upon on Khan’s second visit, in March 2022, with no progress reported so far.
The prosecutor gave “credit” to the Venezuelan authorities this Friday for their “cooperation” despite “the disagreements we have about opening the investigation.”
Khan has said there are signs of “systematic” human rights violations in Venezuela, but the Maduro government has accused him of having a “clearly biased view,” alleging that the justice system responds to excesses by law enforcement.
“He had a lot of coffee, he didn’t sleep, but the result is important,” Khan said. “We discovered areas of deficiencies, of weakness, and there we have to work together.”
The ICC has worked closely with human rights organizations critical of Maduro. “I will continue working, as I have done in recent years, with social actors and civil society organizations,” Khan stressed.
AFP
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