Venezuela to withdraw from International Criminal Court
Venezuela has announced that it will leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying the court is unfair and biased.
Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said the government has informed the United Nations of its decision to withdraw from the court. He said interim leader Delcy Rodríguez approved the move.
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According to Plasencia, Venezuela believes the ICC focuses too much on countries in Africa and Latin America while paying less attention to other parts of the world.
The ICC, which is based in The Hague, said it has not yet received an official notice from Venezuela. The court added that leaving the ICC takes one year to become effective.
The court also said that even after leaving, Venezuela must still cooperate with investigations and legal cases that began while it was still a member.
The ICC is investigating alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Venezuelan government’s crackdown on protesters since 2014.
In December 2025, Venezuela’s parliament began the process of repealing the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, after the court closed its office in Caracas because talks with the government had failed.
Earlier this year, the ICC also rejected Venezuela’s claim that US sanctions against the country amounted to crimes against humanity.
Venezuela’s announcement came on the same day that ICC member states voted to remove the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, over allegations of sexual assault. Khan denies the allegations and says he will challenge the decision.
The ICC investigates individuals accused of the world’s most serious crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. The United States and Israel are not members of the court.
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