Lawyers ask the EU to demand an arrest warrant for Maduro

Experts in international law and a former Venezuelan ambassador to the UN brought their claim to the European Parliament this Monday that the European Union (EU) ask the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an arrest warrant against Nicolás Maduro for crimes of against humanity. Among the applicants are Tamara Suju, Simón Pedro Deffendini and Blas Jesús Imbroda.

The Petitions Committee of the European Parliament, before which the demand was presented, decided to keep the case open and request from the European Commission updated information in writing on the situation in Venezuela, as well as to convey that the EU must act in the line requested. the Venezuelan opposition.

The petition seeks that the European Union activate “the binding provisions” contained in the agreement concluded between the International Criminal Court and the European Union, that the ICC Prosecutor be asked to report on the progress of his investigation into the situation in Venezuela and to order the arrest of Maduro due to the seriousness of the crimes against humanity perpetrated in 2014, 2017 and 2024.

Before the parliamentary commission, the former Venezuelan ambassador to the UN Víctor Rodríguez Cedeño insisted on the role of the ICC as not only a sanctioning but also a preventive body. “The activation of the 2006 agreement is important in this fight against impunity in which we are all committed,” the diplomat stressed.

The representative of the European Commission at the meeting insisted that the EU will not recognize Maduro as president “in the absence of verifiable and official results,” but pointed out that the European Union is not a state party before the ICC and that therefore “not may refer any matter to this International Court or request orders of any arrest.”

«We encourage the government of Venezuela to cooperate fully with the ICC, we trust the independent evaluation of the ICC prosecutor, we respect the independence of the ongoing investigation process, we are willing to cooperate with the Court and we will assist within the framework of the agreements cooperation,” said the official from the European External Action Service.

In the subsequent debate of the MEPs, Alma Ezcurra, of the Popular Party (integrated into the European People’s Party, EPP), said that since the last time the European Parliament debated the situation in Venezuela, in September, “the Maduro regime has not “relented in its efforts to violate the human rights of millions of people” and that Europe has “the moral obligation to continue insisting” in its defense of human rights.

For the PSOE (integrated into the group of European Socialists and Progressives, S&D), Sandra Gómez warned that urging the arrest goes beyond the real powers of the Petitions committee of the European Parliament. “We want to make it very clear that we support the work and work done by the ICC and the Prosecutor’s Office, and above all their independence, which we respect because we believe in multilateralism,” he said.

From the ranks of Vox, Jorge Buxadé replied that the parliamentary commission is “perfectly enabled” to respond to this request and questioned the independence of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, who he said “has no interest” in completing your research.