Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is “not in the business of a regime change” in Venezuela

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, said today that his investigation into Venezuela for alleged crimes against humanity “he is not in the business of regime change.”

The Prosecutor’s Office of the CPI “It is just trying to address impunity and investigate independently,” he added. Khan during the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC, which is held annually and started this Monday in The Hague.

Investigations by the Hague-based court address alleged abuses by Venezuelan security forces against members of the opposition in demonstrations and in prisons since April 2017.

Khan announced the opening of the investigation in an official visit to Caracas, on November 3, when he met with the Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, and announced in parallel the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Government.

“On the basis of complementarity, I look forward to a constructive and sustained dialogue with Venezuela to address impunity in national processes,” Khan said today in the Assembly of States Parties.

The CPI It is a court of last resort, that is, it would not intervene if the Venezuelan Justice shows that the investigations into the alleged crimes committed by its security forces are reliable.

Regarding the possible consequences of the open investigation, the chief prosecutor warned that “there are no predetermined objectives, there cannot be any” and “no preconceived results”.

“My office’s job is to follow the evidence, see what the reality is, see if crimes have been committed under the Rome Statute (the founding charter of the ICC). And if crimes have been committed, see if the evidence reveals who is responsible “added Khan.

The prosecutor expressed his desire to return to Caracas next year to “promote interaction” with the Venezuelan authorities.

On the other hand, the chief prosecutor of the CPI He referred to the closing of the preliminary examination of Colombia, which was open for 17 years for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the framework of the armed conflict between the Army, the FARC-EP guerrillas and paramilitary groups.

The briefing of the preliminary examination was announced in an official visit to Bogotá on October 28.

Khan today put in value “the 120 million dollars annually that have been provided to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace” of Colombia, financing that “could not reveal a lack of authenticity” by the authorities to investigate the crimes.

The chief prosecutor of the ICC added that he has accepted an invitation from the president of Colombia, Iván Duque, to visit Bogotá next year.

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