Venezuela-Of Torture And Microscopes

 

Of Torture and Microscopes

VENEZUELA

The International Criminal Court will begin an investigation into Venezuela’s socialist government over allegations of rape, torture and extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the country’s security forces, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

The move marks the first time the ICC is opening a formal investigation into a Latin American government for possible crimes against humanity.

It also deals a blow to President Nicolas Maduro as he attempts to establish international legitimacy, amid an ongoing political and economic crisis worsened by the pandemic and international sanctions.

A United Nations fact-finding mission said last year that Maduro and his top officials were responsible for potential crimes against humanity, including the extrajudicial killings of more than 5,000 people since 2014 and the use of torture.

Human rights advocates welcomed the decision as “a powerful wake-up call not only for those who committed abuses or covered them up but also for military and civilian leaders who knew or should have known what was happening and failed to act.”

Maduro disagreed with the decision, but said he would respect it.

The socialist president was re-elected in 2018 in a controversial vote that was widely considered a sham and boycotted by the opposition. A year later, Western nations and many Latin American countries tried to oust him by imposing sanctions and recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president.

However, Maduro has been able to circumvent sanctions with the help of Russia, China and Iran and secure his hold on power. Meanwhile, the European Union dropped its recognition of Guaido and is urging negotiations between the opposition and the government.