U.S. Backs Venezuela’s Exit From the International Criminal Court as Probe Stays Active

Overview

• Venezuela has formally notified the United Nations that it will leave the Rome Statute, but the withdrawal becomes effective one year after the UN receives written notice.
• Under the Rome Statute, the one-year delay does not stop ICC proceedings that began while Venezuela was a member, so the court’s investigation into alleged crimes against humanity linked to 2017 unrest remains legally live.
• The U.S. Department of State publicly welcomed Caracas’s move and urged other states to abandon the treaty, framing the action as part of a broader campaign to curb the ICC’s reach.
• Separately, Nicolás Maduro faces a U.S. federal narcotics prosecution in New York with a trial set to begin on June 1, 2027, a case that is distinct from the ICC’s human-rights inquiry.
• The ICC’s practical ability to investigate and arrest suspects depends on member-state cooperation, and recent political pressure plus internal controversy over the prosecutor have increased doubts about the court’s capacity to enforce its mandates.