Venezuela withdraws from International Criminal Court

Venezuela notified the United Nations on Friday that it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said Venezuela had informed the UN of its “its firm and irrevocable decision” to withdraw from the ICC on the orders of acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

“Venezuela considers that the Court’s actions reflect a demonstrated geographical bias, which has disproportionately concentrated its work on African and Latin American countries, to the detriment of the Global South,” he wrote on X.

“This pattern reveals an international justice system that, far from being applied equitably, has been instrumentalized to deepen inequalities among peoples and disregard their right to self-determination and sovereignty.”

The withdrawal comes as the ICC investigates ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s government for alleged crimes against humanity. The government in Caracas rejects the accusations.