The announcement on Friday follows a decision by Venezuela’s National Assembly to repeal the country’s ratification of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.
Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said the government believes the court has demonstrated a “geographic bias” by disproportionately focusing its investigations on African and Latin American nations.
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“Venezuela believes that the Court’s actions reflect a demonstrated geographic bias, which has disproportionately focused its work on African and Latin American countries, to the detriment of the Global South,” Plasencia said.
He argued that the pattern shows an international justice system that has been used to deepen inequalities rather than apply justice equally, while undermining the sovereignty and self-determination of nations.
Plasencia also accused the ICC of waging “legal warfare” against the Venezuelan people and serving political interests unrelated to international law.
“We reaffirm our commitment to a genuinely equitable justice system that respects the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples,” he said.
The announcement comes after a Cabinet reshuffle led by acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who appointed Plasencia to head the newly merged Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Former Foreign Minister Yvan Gil was reassigned to lead the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Despite Venezuela’s decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute, ICC prosecutors have maintained that the court’s investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela—opened in 2021—will continue under its existing jurisdiction.
