Venezuela begins ICC exit as 2017 crimes case is probed
Caracas has notified the U.N., triggering withdrawal from the Rome Statute amid accusations of bias against Africa and Latin America.
Venezuela has begun the formal procedure to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the court in The Hague continues investigating alleged crimes against humanity by civilian and military officials and pro-government groups since at least 2017. Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said Caracas had informed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of what it called an irreversible decision to end participation in the Rome Statute. The Delcy Rodriguez government accused the ICC of geographic bias, saying it has disproportionately targeted countries in Africa and Latin America. The move follows a vote by Venezuela's National Assembly in December 2025 to revoke the legal basis for ratifying the Rome Statute.