Nearly 100 people died this year in violence protests violently repressed.
Le Monde with AFP
The International Criminal Court (ICC) will open an investigation into possible human rights violations in Venezuela during the repression of anti-power demonstrations of 2017, according to a Memorandum signed Wednesday, November 3 in Caracas between the CPI Prosecutor Karim Khan and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“The CPI Prosecutor has concluded the preliminary examination of the situation in Venezuela” and “determined that it opens up a survey to establish the truth (…) the serious crimes committed (…) Do not remain unpunished “, according to the text read on national television. “While we go to this new stage” of the preliminary investigation investigation, “I ask everyone to give my team the space needed for his work,” said Prosecutor Khan alongside President Nicolas Madaro At the presidential palace of Caracas.
“The opening preliminary survey since 2018 is a filtering phase,” said the Prosecutor, arrived Sunday in Caracas. “As we move to a new phase (…) We are committed to working collaboratively and independently. (…) We are not political. We are guided by principles of equality and the state of law, “he said.
” No suspect identified “
“The Prosecutor has decided to move to the next phase to seek the truth. We respect his decision even if (…) we do not share it,” said President Maduro.
In the memorandum signed by the two men, Caracas has mentioned that “the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela believes that the conditions for passing from the preliminary phase to the investigation phase are not fulfilled” and that it “considers that investigations must be carried out in the country by existing national institutions “. The memorandum specifies that there is no suspect identified “at this stage.
The leader of the opposition Juan Guaido has reacted to him on Twitter believing that “the formal opening of a survey for crimes against humanity by the ICC defends the right to justice that has been refused to victims and their close “.
violent repression
In 2018, the Bureau of the CPI Prosecutor opened a preliminary inquiry into alleged human rights violations, including the violent repression of 2017 anti-government protests during which nearly 100 people died.
Gambian Fatou Bensouda, who preceded the British Karim Khan, had felt that there was a “reasonable basis” to believe that crimes against humanity were committed and evoked “inaction” of the Venezuelan authorities to investigate. Venezuelan justice accused and sentenced police officers for the death of protesters during the 2017 mobilization, but the opponents of the government consider that these measures were taken solely to avoid a trial before the ICC.
Families of deceased young people during events or relatives of imprisoned people have shown in the last three days to ask the Prosecutor. “Here, we continue to commit human rights violations. We are the voices of our children,” had denounced, during a small event Tuesday in Caracas, Elvira Pernalete, Mother of Juan Pablo Pernalete, dead after having Received a lacrymogenic grenade shot in the torso in 2017.
The ICC, based in The Hague, conducts investigations and, if necessary, judges those accused of the most serious crimes affecting the entire international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crime of aggression, when national courts can or do not want to do it.