Venezuela withdraws from ICC; US applauds, says tribunal corrupt

Venezuela formally notified the United Nations on July 24, 2026, of its “firm and irrevocable” decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing a “geographic bias” against the Global South Source: CNN, infobae. The announcement was made by Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia on behalf of interim President Delcy Rodríguez.

Reaction

• The United States welcomed the move, with the State Department calling the ICC “corrupt and worthless” and urging other countries to follow Venezuela’s lead Source: clarin. U.S. officials highlighted that the ICC’s investigation into ex-President Nicolás Maduro—now in U.S. custody—had yielded no results since 2018.
• Human rights organization Provea rejected the withdrawal, noting that under Article 127 of the Rome Statute, the process takes one year and does not affect ongoing investigations Source: elnacionalve.
• The ICC expressed regret and stressed that Venezuela remains a state party for another year and must continue cooperating with existing probes Source: lavozar.

What's next

The ICC investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela since 2017 will continue from The Hague. The withdrawal coincides with the dismissal of ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan by the assembly of states parties Source: emolcl. Venezuela’s move also aligns with a broader push by the Trump administration to delegitimize the court.