February 13, 2020
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, held a press conference from The Hague, Netherlands, after filing a complaint with the International Criminal Court against the Government of the United States for the crimes against humanity committed against the Venezuelan people as a result of the unilateral coercive measures imposed by Washington.
The U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade has had a negative impact on Venezuela’s food and health sectors, among other areas.
“Here we have statistical data for the referral of facts that determine the responsibilities for the damages that have been infringed upon the Venezuelan people as crimes against humanity before a country that is free and sovereign,” he said.
Likewise, the Foreign Minister confirmed that more than 35 resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly describe the unilateral coercive measures imposed against Venezuela as contrary to international law.
He pointed out that this complaint is well substantiated, with analysis by external experts and divided into different sectors where unilateral coercive measures against the people of Venezuela are mainly in effect, “we ask before the international courts that the traditional process that should be followed be done, since we are respectfully demanding before the Prosecutor that there be relevance and opportunities in the treatment of this referral. This is a case that is happening right now in our country, this type of war that generates death and destruction is not legal”.
In this sense, Arreaza explained that the Prosecutor and her teams of judges will evaluate everything referred to them in order to understand the cases that have led the Venezuelan government to go to these international bodies, “the referral will allow the processes that would lead to a prosecution against the president of the United States to take place. We are part of the Rome Statute and have the right and obligation to protect our people.
He also said that no report with these characteristics had ever been introduced before an International Tribunal, for a referral, even to hold responsible leaders of a state that is not part of this international body, but “we believe that for effects it must be accepted; in Venezuela, it is too obvious what is being done against the people, we do not rule out any scenario to be heard, the violation of human rights that we saw in Ecuador, Chile and Peru are of a cruel extension that was never seen before in Latin America”.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano, translation, North America bureau