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“The slowness of the exam seems absolutely indifferent to the widespread, serious and devastating crimes that are being committed“Said expert human rights lawyer Jared Genser, special adviser to the OAS.
In addition, he pointed out that, as a consequence, the regime of Nicolás Maduro —which is not recognized by more than 50 countries headed by the United States— “feels emboldened to commit more crimes, under the impression that he can act with total impunity“.
This report, promoted by the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, a harsh critic of Maduro, is based on a first report issued by a panel of independent experts in 2018 that denounced “crimes against humanity” In Venezuela.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, began in February 2018 a preliminary examination to inquire about alleged crimes committed since April 2017 in Venezuela in the context of a wave of protests.
In November of this year, the court prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, received a delegation from the Maduro regime composed of the attorney general of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, and the ombudsman, Alfredo Ruiz.
Bensouda informed the delegation that “there is a reasonable basis to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court had been committed in Venezuela“.
The OAS report indicated that “in light of the overwhelming evidence presented to the Prosecutor’s Office by numerous reliable sources, the current delay is not only inexplicable but also contradicts stated principles and objectives for preliminary examinations“.
Maduro was indicted in September by a UN mission that investigates the situation in Venezuela of being linked to possible “crimes against humanity”, including arbitrary executions and the systematic use of torture.
Caracas recognizes the jurisdiction of the court of The Hague and went to this court to ask that investigate as possible crimes against humanity the sanctions of the United States. Both questions are in a preliminary phase to determine whether to open an investigation.
The ICC is due to issue before the end of this year a report on the state of the issues under consideration.
The report of the OAS secretariat recorded 18,093 murders perpetrated by the security forces in Venezuela between 2014 and 2020, including extrajudicial executions, and 653 cases of torture, based on estimates from multilateral organizations, NGOs and the media.
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