Venezuelans demand that the ICC speed up crimes against humanity

Reference photo / Courtesy

A group of more than 150 Venezuelan citizensamong whom are academics, former ministers, diplomats and retired senior military officers, They addressed a formal communication to Judge Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court (ICC). requesting the urgent adoption of decisions regarding the systematic violations of human rights in Venezuela.

The document demands the urgent application of the Rome Statute in the face of the persistence of arbitrary detentions and systematic political persecution in Venezuela.

The signatories denounce that the national judicial system lacks independence and impartiality, which prevents effective justice and justifies the intervention of the Court under the principle of complementarity.

The complaint indicates the use of organizations such as the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) and the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence to carry out torture, cruel treatment and forced disappearances.

The signatories invoke the principle of complementarity pointing out that the CPI must intervene as a court of last resort in the face of the inability or lack of willingness of the Venezuelan judicial system to investigate genuinely.

In addition, they denounce structural deficiencies that prevent independent, impartial and effective justice in the country, therefore, they demand that the Court strengthen the formal investigation opened in 2021 (“Situation in Venezuela I”), evaluate the individual criminal responsibility of the authorities without exception of rank and guarantee comprehensive reparation for the victims.

The signatories presented in the document are detailed below:

Monsignor Ovidio Pérez Morales : Archbishop ad personam.
José Rodríguez Iturbe : Academic and former president of the Chamber of Deputies of Venezuela.
Humberto Celli Gerbasi : Jurist and former president of the Latin American Parliament.
Humberto Calderon Berti : Former Chancellor, former Minister of Energy and Petroleum, and former president of PDVSA.
Oswaldo Alvarez Paz : Jurist and former president of the Chamber of Deputies of Venezuela.
Beatriz Rangel M. : Former minister and consultant.
Luis Manuel Marcano Salazar : Jurist and academic.
Gustavo Coronel : Former PDVSA executive.
Marcel Granier Haydon : Jurist and businessman.
Rosario Orellana : Former vice chancellor and ambassador.
Milos Alcalay : Former vice chancellor and ambassador.
Abdon Vivas Teran : Former minister and former governor of Caracas.
Jesus Rincon Rincon : President of the Academy of Legal Sciences of the State of Zulia.
César Pérez Vivas : Former parliamentarian and former governor of the State of Táchira.
Virginia Olivo de Celli : Jurist and former minister.
Pilarica Romero : Economist and former minister.
Andres Velasquez : Former presidential candidate and former governor of the Bolívar State.
Miguel Enrique Otero C .: Former parliamentarian and editor of the newspaper El Nacional.
Carlos Ortega .: Former president of the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV).
Erik Becker Becker : Ambassador.
Aníbal Romero : Political scientist and academic.
Carlos Tablante : Former minister, former parliamentarian and former governor of the Aragua State.
Angel Lombardi Lombardi : Former rector of the University of Zulia.
Juan Francisco Contreras Arrieche : Academic and internationalist.
Neuro Villalobos Rincón : Former rector of the University of Zulia.
Diana Romero La Roche : Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Zulia.
Juan José Monsant Aristimuno : Ambassador.
Victor Rodriguez Cedeno : Ambassador.
Johnny Diaz Apitz : Unionist.
Eddie A. Ramirez : Former president of PalmaVen (PDVSA).
Walter Marquez : Historian, former ambassador and former parliamentarian.
Edgar Benarroch : Former governor of Aragua and former parliamentarian.
Alfredo Ramos : Former mayor of Barquisimeto.
Aldo Cermeño : Former Governor of the State of Falcón.
Leopoldo Lopez Gil : Former president of the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Foundation.

Senior Military Commanders and Retired Officers

Rafael Montero Revette : Former Minister of Defense.
Hector Ramirez Perez : Former Minister of Defense.
Raynell Martinez : Major of the Venezuelan Air Force.
Reyes Humberto Gil Sarrameda : Major General of the Air Force.
Simón Figuera Pérez : Brigadier General of the National Guard.
Rafael Huizzi Clavier : Vice Admiral of the Venezuelan Navy.
Carlos Seijas García : Major General of the Air Force.
Jesus Emilio Hung Abreu : Major General of the Air Force.
Juan Herrera Betancourt : Army Brigadier General.
Juan José Ferrer Barazarte : Army Brigadier General.
Elias Buchszer : Rear Admiral of the Navy.
Daniel Comisso Urdaneta : Rear Admiral of the Navy.
Eduardo Caldera Gómez : Brigadier General of the Air Force.
Antonio Rivero González : Army Brigadier General.
Nestor González González : Army Brigadier General.+1
José Ramón Olivar Araujo : Brigadier General of the Air Force.
Hector Valencia Sanoja : Brigadier General of the Air Force.
Martin Leon Blanco : Brigadier General of the Air Force.
Rafael Vera Ruiz : Brigadier General of the National Guard.
Miguel Aparicio Ramirez : Brigadier General of the National Guard.
Antonio Maria Guevara : Army Colonel.
Francisco Jara Ramirez : Air Force Colonel.
Carlos Padilla : Air Force Colonel.
Carlos García Contreras : Air Force Colonel.
Douglas Napoleon Araujo Agudo : Air Force Colonel.
Antonio López Bohorquez : Lieutenant Colonel of the Air Force.
Haroldo Montero : Lieutenant Colonel of the Air Force.
Luis Hartmann : Air Force Major.
Leo de Jesús Castillo Véliz : Air Force Major.
Asdrubal Ramos Balza : Colonel of the National Guard.
Hidalgo Valero Briceno : Colonel of the National Guard.
Jesus Faria Rodriguez : Colonel of the National Guard.
Carlos Emiro Méndez Jiménez : Colonel of the National Guard.
Saul Perez : Navy Navigation Captain.
Federico Guillermo Pohl : Navy Frigate Captain.
Jesus Martinez : Army Captain.

Communicators, Writers and Artists

Pablo López Ulacio : Journalist and editor of The reason.
Sebastiana Barraez : Journalist and writer.
Franklin Virguez : Actor.
Orlando Urdaneta : Exiled writer.
Irene Arcilla : Actress.
Olga Diaz : Poetess.
Miracles Relief : Academic, writer and journalist.
Soledad Morillo Belloso : Journalist and writer.
Alexis Ortiz : Journalist, writer and audiovisual editor.
Macky Arenas : Sociologist and communicator.
Sergio Antillano Armas : Writer.
José Antonio Larez Fermin : Journalist and audiovisual editor.
Alan Peralta : Journalist and audiovisual editor.
Empress Nava : Journalist.

Professionals and Representatives of Civil Society

Elizabeth Burgos : Historian and anthropologist.
Rodrigo Rivera Morales : Jurist and social researcher.
Carlos J. Sarmiento Sosa : Jurist and academic.
Hermann Petzold Pernía : Former dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Zulia.
Jesus Eduardo Troconis Heredia : Academic and former parliamentarian.
Alfredo Alvarez : Journalist and writer.
Ramon Pena : Economist and academic.
Naudy Suarez : Historian and academic.
Hector Valecillos Toro : Economist and academic.
Haroldo Romero Palencia : Economist and former parliamentarian.
Walter Boza : doctor and former parliamentarian.
Carlota Salazar Calderon : Academic and writer.
Cesar Curiel Hernandez : Jurist and former parliamentarian.
Elena Cabrera Armas : Academic and philosopher.
German Ferrer : Former parliamentarian.
Ramon Guanipa : Political scientist and human rights defender.+1
Beatriz Pineda Sansone : Writer and essayist.
Ricardo Rodríguez Ball : Economist and poet.
Céfora Contreras de Martínez : Political leader.
Alberto Borregales : Philosopher and musician.
Adrian Ruiz : Jurist and former prosecutor of Zulia.
Elizabeth Surth de Grau : Educator.
Henry Contreras Guzmán : Jurist.
Nixon Moreno : Political scientist.
Wardinia Palencia : Jurist.
Marta de la Vega Visbal : Academic and writer.
Rafael Quiroz : Academic and oil economist.
Victor Manuel Pinto H .: President of Viva Venezuela Foundation, The Hague.
Winston Cabas : Electrical engineer.
Raúl Ochoa Cuenca : Jurist.