Venezuela signs declaration of support for the International Criminal Court with 66 countries

This Tuesday, Venezuela, along with 66 other countries, signed a declaration of support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), after the threats and alleged coercion by the US government against that judicial body, to try to violate its independence and impartiality.

In this sense, the aforementioned States jointly subscribing this declaration in support of the International Criminal Court (ICC), after the publication of the Executive Order of the United States of June 11, 2020, are the following:

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, The Gambia, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mexico, Namibia, The Netherlands, New Zealand , Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Portugal, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Romania, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, State of Palestine, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

In this regard, said statement indicates that, as States Parties of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), they reaffirm their unwavering support for the Court as an independent and impartial judicial institution. Along the same lines as the press release of the President of the Assembly of States Parties of June 11, “we reiterate our commitment to maintaining and defending the principles and values enshrined in the Rome Statute and preserving its integrity, without being discouraged by any measure or threat against the Court, its officials and those who cooperate with it”, highlights the statement.

“We remain committed to a rules-based international order. The Court is an integral part of that order and a central institution in the fight against impunity and the search for justice, essential components of sustainable peace, security and reconciliation. Therefore, we will continue to fulfill our cooperation obligations under the Rome Statute, and we call on all States to develop full cooperation with the Court, so that it can fulfill its important mandate to administer justice for victims of the most serious crimes of transcendence for the international community”, said the statement.

Likewise, they recall that the International Criminal Court is a complementary or last resort court, that enshrines a justice system for serious international crimes, based on the action of national courts: “The national authorities have the primary responsibility to investigate and prosecute the crimes described in the Rome Statute. The ICC only intervenes when States are unwilling or unable to actually carry out national investigations or prosecutions”.

The ICC, as the first and only permanent international criminal court in the world, is an essential piece in a multilateral architecture that defends the rule of law. It embodies our collective commitment to fight impunity for international crimes. Through our full support for the ICC and the promotion of its universal reach, we defend the progress we have made together towards a rules-based international order, of which international justice is an essential pillar”, concluded the statement.