The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected an appeal by the Nicolás Maduro regime Friday that sought to prevent the investigation for crimes against humanity.
"The decision of the Appeals Chamber that I will issue is: adopted unanimously. The Appeals Chamber has deemed it appropriate to confirm the contested decision," Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, president of the ICC Appeals Chamber, said in statements reported by local outlet El Nacional.
With the decision, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan will resume his investigation into the facts. Likewise, the court detailed that the prosecutor should not inform the regime about all the acts he intends to investigate.
‘Great relevance in a climate of impunity’
Meanwhile, non-governmental organizations welcomed the court's decision. PROVEA highlighted its "great relevance in a climate of impunity, dominated by a new wave of persecution of human rights defenders and a closing of civic space in the country."
Historic day 🇻🇪 #VenezuelaEnLaCPI@IntlCrimCourt (#ICC) denies appeal of the Venezuelan State that sought to prevent investigation for crimes against humanity, Venezuela I.@fidh_en and @_Provea applaud this decision against crimes committed by #Maduro's dictatorship and… pic.twitter.com/fQcTBx4odz
— FIDH (@fidh_en) March 1, 2024
In November 2021, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, opened an investigation into possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela. "Since 2020, the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission has identified sufficient grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed as part of a state policy of repression of opponents," Human Rights Watch explained.
In 2023, the court asked all those who considered themselves victims of the regime to submit forms explaining the wrongdoings they had suffered. A total of 1,875 forms were submitted by 8,900 people, including 630 families, as a result of this public consultation.
