Venezuela formally notifies UN of withdrawal from International Criminal Court, citing 'geographical bias' against Latin America and Africa

Formal notification to the United Nations

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia announced on 24 July 2026 that the government, acting on orders from acting president Delcy Rodríguez, had formally notified UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of its 'firm and irrevocable' decision to denounce the Rome Statute and withdraw from the International Criminal Court. The move invokes Article 127 of the treaty, meaning the withdrawal will take effect one year after the notification is received. Plasencia argued that the ICC exhibits a 'geographical bias' by concentrating its work disproportionately on African and Latin American countries, a pattern he said 'reveals an international justice that has been instrumentalized to deepen inequalities between peoples and deny their right to self-determination and sovereignty.' Caracas further accuses the court of 'lawfare' that perpetuates persecution against the Venezuelan people and serves interests alien to justice.

This bias is not a simple procedural coincidence, but the reflection of an institution that has put its mechanisms at the service of interests alien to justice and the peoples it claims to protect.

An active crimes-against-humanity probe

The ICC has been investigating alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela since 2021, focusing on events during the 2017 anti-government protests that left some 200 people dead. The probe also covers torture, arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and sexual violence committed under the government of ousted president Nicolás Maduro. According to El País, more than 8,000 victims of political persecution have submitted testimony to the court. Tensions escalated in December 2025 when the Chavismo-controlled parliament unanimously passed a law repealing Venezuela's adherence to the Rome Statute, shortly after the ICC announced it would close its Caracas office on December 1st due to a lack of 'real progress' in cooperation with the authorities. The ICC said in a statement that it had not yet been formally notified of the withdrawal but regretted that Venezuela wanted 'to depart from the collective effort to end impunity for the most serious international crimes.'

Caracas and Washington align against the court

The Venezuelan decision came two days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio published a Wall Street Journal article declaring Washington's intent to dismantle the ICC 'brick by brick if necessary.' Rubio wrote that 'using all the tools at our government's disposal, working shoulder to shoulder with every ally we can join forces with, we will dismantle the ICC.' Analysts cited by El País note that both governments share a drive for impunity: Caracas over a long record of political persecution against opponents, and Washington over military operations in Iran, Gaza, and Caribbean waters where anti-drug bombings prompted then-Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez to call for ICC investigations as extrajudicial executions. The alignment reflects a broader push to undermine the permanent international court.

This is just the beginning. Using all the tools at our government's disposal, working shoulder to shoulder with every ally we can join forces with, we will dismantle the ICC.

The road ahead

Under Article 127, Venezuela remains subject to the Rome Statute until 24 July 2027, and the ICC has previously held that ongoing investigations are not affected by withdrawals. The court's open probe into the Maduro-era abuses continues from The Hague. On the same day as Venezuela's announcement, the ICC's assembly dismissed prosecutor Karim Khan, who had been overseeing the Venezuela file, over sexual assault allegations. Venezuela's exit adds to a small group of states that have left the court since its founding in 2002 and reflects the mounting pressure on international criminal justice.