Venezuela announces withdrawal from the International Criminal Court over bias claim

Venezuela has informed the United Nations that it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court, accusing the tribunal of bias against countries in the Global South. The announcement was made on Friday by Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia in a social media post, and he said the decision was ordered by interim President Delcy Rodriguez. The move marks a formal break with the court after months of political and legal friction.

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Plasencia said Venezuela considers the court's actions to show a "demonstrated geographical bias" that has concentrated its work on African and Latin American countries. He argued that this pattern has been used to deepen inequality and ignore the right to self-determination and sovereignty. The government described the withdrawal as "irrevocable," according to the statement cited in the row.

The decision comes after the International Criminal Court announced in 2021 that it would investigate possible crimes against humanity by the Venezuelan government during the crackdown on anti-government protests in 2017. Venezuela's National Assembly voted in December last year to cancel its commitments to the Rome Statute, the treaty that underpins the court. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez had previously described the court as an instrument of "American imperialism," underscoring the depth of the dispute.

The withdrawal is significant because it places Venezuela among the states openly challenging the reach and legitimacy of the world's permanent war crimes court. It also comes at a time when the country has been moving closer to the policies of the United States, despite long-running tensions with Washington. The row therefore sits at the intersection of international justice, diplomacy and domestic political alignment.

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The broader context is the ICC's continuing struggle to defend its credibility across different regions. The court has often faced criticism from some governments and commentators for focusing heavily on cases in Africa and Latin America, while being seen by others as too cautious in cases involving Western powers. Venezuela's statement directly taps into that debate, while also reflecting its own confrontation with an active ICC probe.

What remains unclear is how quickly the withdrawal will take effect and what practical impact it will have on the court's ongoing work. The ICC has not been described in the row as having closed its investigation, and the legal consequences of the move are not detailed. The next point to watch is whether the United Nations and the court respond publicly, and whether Venezuela's decision changes its position in the wider dispute over the 2017 crackdown.

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