The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Thursday (local time) that it will not continue its investigation into whether US sanctions against Venezuela could be considered crimes against humanity, the AP reported.
The matter arose in 2020 when Venezuela asked the ICC to investigate what it called “illegal coercive measures”. The country has argued that asset freezes and travel restrictions targeting several Venezuelan officials, originally imposed under former US President Barack Obama, have led to widespread hardship for Venezuelans.
After reviewing the case, ICC prosecutors concluded that there was insufficient evidence to initiate charges. In a statement, the office explained that while it was “generally accepted” that sanctions “may exacerbate the existing dire humanitarian situation”, there was insufficient evidence of a “necessary intent” to pursue criminal charges.
The decision to close that investigation is separate from the events of January 2026, the court noted, when US forces captured President Nicolás Maduro. The ICC also confirmed that it is continuing to investigate potential crimes committed by Maduro and his security forces.
Investigations into crimes under Maduro’s rule continue
The ICC is actively investigating alleged abuses by Venezuelan security forces during the crackdown on anti-government protests in 2017. According to Human Rights Watch, tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in April 2017 to oppose the Supreme Court’s attempt to take over the powers of the legislature. Protests followed across the country, fueled by discontent with authoritarian practices amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis.
In March 2024, ICC Appeals judges confirmed that the investigation into alleged crimes under Maduro’s government would continue. ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan formally opened the investigation in late 2021 following a lengthy preliminary review and referrals in 2018 from Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru.
At one point, the investigation was suspended when Venezuelan authorities said they would handle the matter domestically. The ICC is a court of last resort that only deals with cases where national authorities are unwilling or unable to investigate, a system known as complementarity. However, Khan ruled that Venezuela’s efforts were either too limited or had yet to produce concrete results, marking the first time the ICC had pushed forward with a Latin American case despite domestic claims to jurisdiction.
Monitoring ongoing development: Khan
In August 2024, the ICC said it was closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela following the disputed presidential election on 28 July. Security forces loyal to Maduro launched a crackdown on opposition supporters, and Khan’s office reported receiving numerous cases of violence and other alleged abuses following the vote.
The ICC emphasized that its ongoing investigation into crimes committed by Venezuelan security forces remains separate from the earlier sanctions case.
