ICC urged to investigate Venezuela for alleged crimes against humanity

VENEZUELA: Canada and five South American countries urged International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Venezuela alleged crimes against humanity as the crisis continues to roil the country.

A joint statement was signed by the leaders of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Canada on Wednesday, which was addressed to the president of the International Criminal Court asking for a probe into possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela.

Dating to 2014, the alleged crimes include extrajudicial murder, torture and the arbitrary detention of political opponents and anti-government protesters.

The request, made at UN headquarters in New York as the UN General Assembly meets this week, is the first time ICC member governments have sought an investigation of alleged crimes that took place entirely on the territory of another country, Human Rights Watch said.

The move comes as a blow to the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, after the United States, this week slapped sanctions on his wife and three other members of his inner circle in an effort to get Maduro to weaken his grip on the military and the government.

Once the richest country in Latin America, Venezuela has plummeted into an economic and humanitarian crisis, with food shortages, overcrowded hospitals, inflation and political turmoil. The chaos and ongoing crisis have triggered a mass exodus of Venezuelans seeking refuge in neighboring countries, ratcheting up tensions in the region.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs calls the refugee crisis "one of the largest population movements in Latin American history." A related UN group, the International Organization of Migration, says the exodus of migrants from Venezuela is reaching a "crisis moment" on par with the Mediterranean flow of refugees from North Africa and the Middle East.