Venezuela says it will withdraw from International Criminal Court

Venezuela will withdraw from the International Criminal Court over what it sees as bias by the tribunal, Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said Friday.

Plasencia wrote on X that Caracas had informed the United Nations of its firm and irrevocable decision to leave the ICC. He said interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, who took over after US forces ousted Nicolas Maduro in January, had instructed the move.

Plasencia said Venezuela considered the court's actions to show geographical bias, with what he described as a disproportionate focus on African and Latin American countries.

The announcement came amid an ICC investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed under Maduro's government. The Hague-based court is probing alleged crimes against humanity during crackdowns on protesters in Venezuela since 2014.

In December 2025, Venezuela's parliament took steps to repeal the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding text, after the court closed its Caracas office and cited fruitless talks with the government. In March, the ICC dismissed complaints filed by Venezuela that US sanctions on the country amounted to crimes against humanity.

Plasencia's announcement coincided with ICC member states' decision on Friday to dismiss top prosecutor Karim Khan over allegations of sexual assault. Khan denies the allegations, and his lawyers said he would challenge the dismissal.

In 2024, Khan successfully applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. When President Donald Trump took office for a second time in 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on the tribunal and its judges.

Neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the ICC, which tries individuals accused of the world's worst crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.