Weekly Report - 04 November 2021 (WR-21-44)

The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Karim Khan, announced on 3 November that the court will open a full investigation into alleged crimes against humanity under the government of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Khan’s announcement came at the end of a three-day visit to Venezuela and was hailed as “historic” by the Americas director of the NGO Human Rights Watch, José Miguel Vivanco, who noted that it is the first time that the ICC has opened a full-scale investigation into a Latin American country. Whilst the decision has been welcomed by the opposition, the ICC’s reliance on cooperation from national authorities makes it unlikely that any high-ranking officials will be brought to trial.