Venezuela denounces US before Int'l Criminal Court

ANKARA

Venezuela on Friday denounced the U.S. before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the "crimes against humanity" committed by Washington with sanctions.

Venezuela's Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez said in a press conference that Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza handed a file explaining the situation in Venezuela to a prosecutor in ICC's headquarter, The Hague.

"For the first time, a case is presented before the International Criminal Court where it is demonstrated that unilateral coercive measures, which today constitute a fundamental element of the foreign policy of the United States, constitute crimes against humanity," she said.

She added the report includes "confessions" of U.S. officials about the reality of Venezuela and the actions of the U.S.

Stressing the U.S. is carrying out an "illegal economic war policy," Rodriguez accused Washington of violating the UN Charter and international conventions on human rights.

She said 126 institutions, 133 officials, nine foreign ships, 40 ships of Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA, 15 aircraft of National air company CONVIASA, nine state-owned companies and 61 foreign companies have been affected by the U.S. sanctions so far.

The vice-president added that those sanctions' effects on the Venezuelan society, health programs, agribusiness activities are also included in the report.

She also called opposition leader Juan Guaido "the protagonist of these measures" within the Venezuelan territory.

The South American nation has been under severe U.S. sanctions, economic and diplomatic, for more than a year as Washington recognizes Guaido as the legitimate ruler instead of elected President Nicolas Maduro.

Late February, the U.S. warned that sanctions on Venezuela would not cease until "Venezuela recovers its democracy."

"There will be other steps. There will be other targets. There will be more sanctions. The pressure will not cease until Venezuela once again is able to recover its democracy," U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams said.

Since the beginning of 2019, Venezuela has been embroiled in political unrest as Maduro and Guaido engage in a power battle amid a dire economic crisis in the Latin American nation.