Spain: former president Zapatero denounced before the ICC for crimes against humanity in Venezuela

The civil servants' union Manos Limpias filed a complaint on Monday against Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro before the prosecutor of the International Court, Kharim Kham, for alleged "crimes against humanity." In the complaint they also requested an investigation into the actions of the former president of the Spanish government, the socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, whom they accuse of performing "work as an agent of the criminal regime of Nicolás Maduro" since at least 2016.

The whistleblowers recall that, for a decade, Human Rights commissions and independent experts published numerous reports pointing to the growing weakness of democratic institutions in Venezuela; the deterioration of human rights in the Caribbean country and the increase in persecution and attacks against opponents of the regime, as could be learned from the lawsuit obtained by The Objective.

In recent years, these attacks, which include arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial executions, torture and forced disappearances, have allegedly been operated from within the government of Nicolás Maduro and the support of the security forces and external agents, such as former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

And the fact is that Rodriguez Zapatero insists on defending the Maduro dictatorship despite the growing repression and persecution against dissidents. This Sunday, statements were published in which the former Spanish president argued that the international community is uninformed about the crisis experienced by Venezuelans.

"The path that has been followed by the international community driven by Donald Trump is a wrong path, plagued by misinformation about what is happening in Venezuela. From false assumptions, following that path that is breaking the rules," Zapatero stressed in an interview with the newspaper El Español.

The Chavista regime's gifts to Zapatero

The Manos Limpias lawsuit also highlights that Zapatero has been accused of receiving gifts from the Chavista regime. Specifically, it made reference to the fact that he has been accused of receiving benefits, "such as the exploitation of a gold mine and oil contracts, which has generated controversy and public denunciations, even within his own party in Spain, which contrasts with the critical stance of other socialist leaders, such as former president Felipe González."

The accusation arose after the former head of Chavism's Military Intelligence services, Hugo El Pollo Carvajal, told the National Court that Rodriguez Zapatero is the owner of a gold mine in Venezuela. Carvajal assured that he is taking steps to retrieve the documents that would accredit this accusation, as confirmed by El Confidencial.

The ICC investigation

It is important to remember that the South American country has been under investigation by the ICC Prosecutor's Office since November 2021. The dictatorial regime has made several efforts to stop these investigations. However, the ICC considers it necessary to continue with them, as the State has not carried out internal investigations into these crimes.