The prosecutor at The Hague has revealed that she has “made significant progress” in her investigation into the Maduro regime.

“With regard to the situation in Venezuela, I have always indicated that we are now examining the situation and that most of the criteria for opening a preliminary investigation have been met,” said ICC Prosecutor Fatou. Bensouda In an interview with France 24.

The prosecutor He stressed that he “has made great progress in the situation in Venezuela” and that he hopes to publish his findings soon. Although he did not specify a date, he made it clear that once the Chamber (the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber) “issues” the allegations of the Maduro regime, accusing it of not cooperating and depriving him of his right to defence, it will be in a position to “publish the results of its investigations.”

last december, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda decided in her annual report that in fact, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in Venezuela.

“The Office of the Prosecutor has concluded that the information available at this stage provides reasonable grounds to believe that, At least since April 2017, civilian authorities, members of the armed forces and pro-government individuals have committed crimes against humanity of imprisonment or other serious deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental standards of international law,” the document states.

In a statement, the international body listed the security forces of the Maduro regime whose members are allegedly responsible for the crimes: “Bolivarian National Police; (“PNB”), Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (“SEBIN”), Directorate General; Military Counterintelligence (“DGCIM”) “), the Special Procedures Force (“FAES”), the Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigation Corps (“CICPC”), the Bolivarian National Guard (“GNB”), the National Anti-Extortion and Abduction Command (“CONAS”) and some other units of the national armed forces Bolivarian (“FANB”)”.

The report also refers to the paramilitary militias operating in the service of the dictatorship, known as “colectivos”, and notes that they acted “in conjunction with or with the consent of members of the security forces”. With regard to the assumed role of the above actors, “the potential case(s) identified by the Office of the Prosecutor will not be limited to such persons or groups of persons, and an attempt will be made to examine the presumed responsibility of those represented to be most responsible for such crimes.”

Political persecution was also included in the attorney general’s report, which noted that “available information indicates that pro-government individuals have also participated in representing opponents of the government of Venezuela, or persons perceived as such, acting primarily with or with the consent of members of the security forces. “.

The prosecutor’s office report went to the preliminary question room where it will be decided whether there will be a trial or the case will be closed.

Now, Bensouda revealed, he hopes “to be in a position to make all the findings regarding Venezuela publicly available”.

In any case, Bensouda’s term ends on June 15, so it is not known whether he will announce the Maduro regime or if he will allow his British successor, Karim Khan, to continue operating.

The NGO Provea denounced last week that the Chavista dictatorship is leading a “campaign of attacks” against the International Criminal Court, just days after the Supreme Court decided whether to open a formal investigation into crimes against humanity in the country. The Venezuelan regime is trying to establish an opinion matrix. The non-governmental organization said in a statement that early prevention of harm in the event of an adverse decision.

Provia points out, among the promoters of the “campaign”, Prosecutor Tarek William Saab, who stated in early May that the ICC was “used as a source of information on tweets produced by shoes with false assertions”.

The organization states that Saab’s statement contradicts the statement issued in December 2020, when, After visiting the organization’s headquarters in The Hague, he stressed that “Venezuela has always expressed its recognition and support for the International Criminal Court.“.

Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez also dismissed the ICC’s work, declaring that the Venezuela case was “a great farce built on lies and lies spread on social networks.”

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