Venezuela moves to undo Rome Statute ratification, sets exit path

Venezuela’s National Assembly voted unanimously on December 11 to repeal the domestic law that had brought the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court into effect in the country, a legal step that Reuters reported and that was carried by outlets including Investing and U.S. News. Earlier in the week the legislature had taken a procedural step, approving the bill in a first discussion during a session on Tuesday, according to Orinoco Tribune.

The measure was presented to the assembly by Deputy Roy Daza of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela. Daza argued the Rome Statute “should serve as a guarantor of justice” and “should serve as a guarantor of due process,” but said the court was being used “for purposes other than what it was created for.” He added the International Criminal Court “was created with one objective, and now it turns out it has others,” and accused the court of serving “imperialism” rather than justice, language published by Orinoco Tribune. The outlet also posted a photograph of Deputy Daza speaking at a special National Assembly session on December 2, 2025.

According to the reporting cited, President Nicolás Maduro was expected to sign the legislation once it reached his desk. Repeal of the ratifying law is a domestic legal prerequisite to a formal withdrawal from the court, although the repeal by itself does not immediately remove Venezuela from the Rome Statute. Reports did not specify when or whether Caracas would transmit the formal notification required to leave the court, or the timetable such a notification would trigger.

Venezuela signed the Rome Statute in October 1998 and ratified it in June 2000, bringing the treaty into domestic effect at the start of the century, reporting by Yahoo and other outlets notes. The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court, which holds jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. The statute currently counts 125 state parties, while some major powers including the United States, China and Russia have not joined.

The parliamentary move reflects a long running standoff between the Maduro government and prosecutors at the Hague based court. Caracas has rejected accusations brought before the ICC against its officials, and pro government lawmakers framed repeal as a response to what they describe as politicized or improper use of the court’s mandate. Opposition voices and foreign governments have cautioned that withdrawal would complicate accountability for allegations of serious crimes, though specific international reactions to the December 11 vote were not detailed in the reports.

The repeal raises immediate legal and diplomatic questions. How the ICC will treat ongoing or pending matters involving Venezuela if the country formally withdraws remains unclear, as do potential ramifications for Venezuela’s relations with regional neighbors and international partners. For administrations across Latin America and capitals in Europe and North America, the development tests the balance between state sovereignty and international mechanisms designed to address mass atrocity and systemic abuses. Caracas’s next steps will determine whether the repeal becomes a declaratory act alone or the opening of a formal break with a court that has become a focal point in broader debates over justice, geopolitics and foreign influence.