The International Criminal Court (ICC) will initiate an investigation in Venezuela for allegations of crimes against humanity.
The opposition and two-time Venezuelan presidential candidate Henrique Capriles celebrated on Wednesday that the International Criminal Court (ICC) opens an investigation in Venezuela for the allegations of crimes against humanity and indicated that he hopes that the decision clears “the way for the victims to obtain ” Justice.
“The decision announced today by the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, to move to the investigation phase for crimes against humanity, should open the way for the victims to achieve what has long ceased to exist in our country: JUSTICE” Capriles wrote on his Twitter account.
In this regard, he said, referring to the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), that in the Caribbean country “what exists are institutions hijacked by a political party and a group clinging to power.”
All of them, in his opinion, are “far from democracy” and “closed the door to the victims and their families and that is why today they see hope in the ICC.”
“It is not revenge, it is JUSTICE that they are crying out for. We all hope that the day will come when our own institutions can be trusted and for that we must also continue working,” he concluded.
The announcement of the investigation came after a three-day visit to Venezuela by Khan, who appeared before the media together with President Nicolás Maduro to sign a memorandum explaining that the entity he directs “has concluded the preliminary examination of the situation.” in the Caribbean country.
“(The Prosecutor’s Office) has determined that an investigation should be opened to establish the truth in accordance with the Rome Statute,” he stressed.
The case dates back to 2018, when the ICC Prosecutor’s Office began an investigation for the alleged commission of crimes against humanity, since at least April 2017, during the demonstrations and mistreatment of opponents in some prisons.
The international court released an annual report in December 2020 listing crimes committed by the security forces, including torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, politically motivated persecution and imprisonment in violation of fundamental standards. of international law.
However, the document signed today determines that, in the preliminary examination, prior to the formal opening of the investigation, “no suspect or any target has been identified.” The purpose of the “investigation is to determine the truth and whether there are any or no grounds for filing charges against any person. “
The president of the NGO Foro Penal, Alfredo Romero, explained that the opening of the investigation “implies the possibility of collecting evidence, meeting or interviewing people who in some way, are witnesses or victims of these situations that the prosecutor has had knowledge in different ways ”. (I)
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