Venezuelan Parliament Approves Bill to Withdraw from the ICC
Roy Daza representative of PSUV described the move as essential for the defense of Venezuela’s sovereignty, stressing that the ICC no longer serves the purpose for which it was established.
Venezuea, PUREWILAYAH.COM — Venezuela’s National Assembly has unanimously approved, in its first reading, a bill to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), denouncing the institution as a politicized tool serving powerful states rather than genuine justice.
The Plenary session endorsed the Draft Law Repealing the Law Approving the Rome Statute, marking a decisive step toward full disengagement from the ICC.
Roy Daza, representative of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) for Aragua state, presented the report on the draft law.
He described the move as essential for the defense of Venezuela’s sovereignty, stressing that the ICC no longer serves the purpose for which it was established.
“ICC Serves De Facto Powers”
Daza argued that instead of upholding justice and due process, the ICC has become a body instrumentalized by economic, political, and cultural power centers—a criticism often directed at institutions influenced by Washington and its allies.
He emphasized that Venezuela has consistently demonstrated its capacity and willingness to conduct every investigation requested under the principle of complementarity. Yet, the ICC continues to seek the imposition of external legal authority over national institutions, an approach he described as unacceptable for a sovereign state.
“These kinds of impositions may be applied elsewhere,” Daza said, “but not in Venezuela—a free, sovereign, and independent nation.”
ICC’s Office Closure Sparks Outrage in Caracas
The parliamentary move comes in response to the ICC’s recent decision to close its office in Caracas, citing what it called a “lack of real progress” in cooperation related to ongoing investigations, including the politically charged “Venezuela I” case.
Venezuelan officials condemned the closure, calling it proof of the ICC’s selective and politically driven agenda, which they say mirrors the broader system of Western pressure campaigns used against sovereign nations that refuse to align with US or Israeli interests.
Caracas Rejects “Judicial Colonialism”
The Venezuelan government denounced the ICC’s conduct as “judicial colonialism”, accusing the court of functioning as a mechanism through which powerful states attempt to override national legislation and weaken governments that resist external domination.
Officials argue that the ICC has abandoned impartiality and has instead allowed itself to be used as an instrument of geopolitical coercion—particularly by countries that routinely shield Israel and the United States from accountability for their well-documented crimes while targeting nations of the Global South. (PW)