The government of Javier Milei demanded an “immediate action” from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday in light of the worsening human rights violations in Venezuela, and called for arrest warrants to be issued and executed against Nicolás Maduro and Diosdado Cabello, the main leaders of the Chavista regime.
The Argentine intervention, made by its ambassador to the ICC, Diego Emilio Sadofschi, during the opening of the Assembly of States Parties in The Hague, coincided with the rising military tension in the Caribbean following the air closure order issued by Donald Trump and the mobilization of U.S. forces to the region.
"Arbitrary detentions, inhumane treatment, and other crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Venezuelan regime require rigorous but expedited investigations, including arrest warrants against those primarily responsible," declared Sadofschi in a speech that broke the usual diplomatic tone of the conference.
A hemispheric shift in pressure on Venezuela
Argentina distanced itself from the general consensus of the assembly and harshly criticized the lack of progress in the process initiated by the ICC Prosecutor in 2021. The diplomat emphasized that since the "fraudulent elections of July 2024," the situation has deteriorated "dramatically," with new waves of repression, disappearances, and political persecution.
Buenos Aires' stance was supported by several member countries of the Court that believe international inaction has favored the impunity of chavismo. Milei's appeal aims to reinvigorate the Venezuelan cause within the international judicial system at a time when the regime is facing simultaneous pressures from the U.S. and its allies in the region.
Caracas reacts with virulence
The Venezuelan representative to The Hague, Héctor Constant Rosales, responded by accusing the Argentine government of "politicizing" the conference and labeled it as "a false defender of human rights," according to EFE.
Sadofschi firmly stated, demanding that it be recorded in the minutes the dissociation of Argentina from any resolution that downplays the crimes committed in Venezuela.
The ICC also announced the closure of its office in Caracas due to "lack of real progress" in the regime's cooperation, a decision that emphasizes Maduro's international isolation.
The Argentine diplomatic offensive comes alongside movements from Washington, which has intensified its military operation "Lanza del Sur" in the Caribbean.
Everything indicates that December could mark a turning point in the region: the end of complacency with chavismo and the beginning of a new phase of political, judicial, and strategic confrontation in the hemisphere.
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