On the occasion of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court No. 23, held in The Hague during the first week of December, Venezuelan civil society organizations presented a joint statement before the plenary in support of the investigation into crimes against humanity in the country. In this statement, they urged the office of the prosecutor to take concrete actions, such as initiating specific criminal proceedings, identifying high-level perpetrators, and issuing arrest warrants, in order to ensure justice for the victims of these serious crimes.

Your Excellencies, Madam President,

I am writing to you today on behalf of Venezuelan civil society organizations in one of the most severe contexts of repression in our recent history. Since the July 28 elections, we have witnessed an alarming increase in systematic and widespread human rights violations, including political and gender-based persecution, imprisonment contrary to international standards, forced disappearances, torture and sexual violence. 

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has condemned these actions as State terrorism, denouncing the use of violence and fear as tools to consolidate authoritarian power.

It should be noted that the pre-electoral context was already bleak. By the date of the presidential election, more than 300 political prisoners were incarcerated. 

Following the elections, more than 2,200 new arrests have been recorded, the vast majority accompanied by forced disappearances of short or long duration, incommunicado detention, denial of trusted legal representation, and judicial proceedings without any guarantees. Anti-terrorist laws and jurisdictions have become tools to criminalize peaceful protest and freedom of expression, while the judicial system is instrumentalized as a mechanism for political persecution. Among the detainees are foreigners and dual nationals of States present in this Assembly, whose consular assistance has been systematically denied, exacerbating their vulnerability.

To date, more than 18,000 people have been detained for political reasons in Venezuela.

The impact of these actions extends especially to mothers, wives and relatives of detainees who face reprisals, extortion and criminalization for seeking justice, subjecting them to indescribable suffering. 

In addition, defense lawyers have been accused of terrorism simply for practicing their profession.  A clear example of this situation is the case of Kennedy Tejeda, a lawyer from Foro Penal, who is currently detained for attempting to defend people arrested during the protests.

This climate of repression also seriously affects civil society organizations, several of which have been disbanded or forced into exile. Many defenders are not present here today for these reasons.

We are deeply concerned that cooperation between the ICC and the Venezuelan State has not stopped these abuses. Despite the presence of a technical assistance office in Caracas, attacks against the civilian population have intensified. The lack of transparency in cooperation agreements and the absence of political will to ensure genuine justice undermine the effectiveness of these efforts.

Against this backdrop, we request the States Parties to accompany the following actions that have been requested of the Court:

1. Expedite investigations and initiate concrete processes, identifying high-level perpetrators and moving towards arrest warrants.
2. Re-evaluate the strategy of complementarity to prevent resources allocated to the Venezuelan judicial system from perpetuating repression and strengthening impunity.  Complementarity will only be viable with State cooperation and a judicial system that is not in the hands of potential perpetrators. We must not forget that the Appeals Chamber has already concluded that the Venezuelan judiciary is not conducting genuine investigations. 
3. Issue a public statement before the presidential inauguration on January 10, 2025, reaffirming the Court’s commitment to justice and warning of the consequences of continuing with repressive acts.
4. Adopt concrete protection measures for victims and human rights organizations, including the inclusion of a direct dialogue with the Court’s Prosecutor when in the field.

Representatives, 

The International Criminal Court stands as one of the last hopes for victims, and its mission in this context is crucial. We urge you to strengthen your financial and political support.

Inaction in Venezuela demands that the international community take firm and decisive action to put an end to impunity, as prescribed in the preamble of the Statute.

Justice in Venezuela can wait no longer. 

Thank you very much.