Venezuela moves to withdraw from ICC, citing bias

Venezuela has formally notified the United Nations of its decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), denouncing the Rome Statute under Article 127, Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said on Friday, July 24.

The move follows instructions from acting President Delcy Rodriguez and marks the start of what Caracas described as an irreversible exit from the court.

“Venezuela has informed the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, of its firm and irreversible decision to denounce the Rome Statute and begin its definitive withdrawal from the ICC in accordance with Article 127,” Plasencia said in a post on X.

The minister said the government believes the ICC demonstrates geographic bias, arguing that it “disproportionately focuses its work” on countries in the Global South.

“This pattern reflects an international system of justice that is far from being applied fairly, but is instead used to deepen inequality among peoples and to ignore their right to self-determination and sovereignty,” he said.

Plasencia added that the perceived bias is systemic rather than incidental, and reflects what he described as a misuse of international legal mechanisms.

According to the minister, Caracas rejects what it called “legal warfare,” which it says contributes to the persecution of the Venezuelan people and exacerbates global inequalities that international justice is intended to address.

By Tamilla Hasanova