International Criminal Court Ends Probe of US Venezuela Sanctions

The International Criminal Court has closed its investigation into whether U.S. sanctions against Venezuela constituted crimes against humanity. Prosecutors cited insufficient evidence of criminal intent, though they acknowledged the sanctions may have worsened humanitarian conditions in the country.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court announced Thursday they are closing their probe into whether American sanctions imposed on Venezuela amounted to crimes against humanity.

The case began in 2020 when Venezuelan officials petitioned the ICC to examine what they termed “unlawful coercive measures.” The country argued that financial asset freezes and travel restrictions targeting Venezuelan leaders — initially put in place during Barack Obama’s presidency — had created “widespread suffering” among citizens.

After conducting a preliminary review, prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed with formal charges.

The prosecutor’s office acknowledged in their announcement that while it was “generally accepted” that the sanctions “may have exacerbated an existing dire humanitarian situation,” investigators could not establish the “necessary intent” required for criminal prosecution.

Officials emphasized that ending this particular investigation has no connection to “the January 2026 events in Venezuela.”

Those events included a rapid military operation by U.S. forces that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, who were subsequently removed from the country. American forces have also conducted multiple operations targeting vessels allegedly transporting narcotics from Venezuelan waters.

This sanctions investigation operates independently from the ICC’s continuing examination of potential crimes by Venezuelan security personnel under Maduro’s administration during their 2017 response to anti-government demonstrations.

The court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan faced complications last year when appeals judges required him to remove himself from the Venezuela case due to conflicts of interest. Khan’s family connection to international criminal attorney Venkateswari Alagendra, who represents Maduro’s administration, created the conflict.

Khan has temporarily stepped away from his position while facing an internal investigation regarding sexual misconduct allegations.

In a separate development Thursday, prosecutors announced they would proceed with examining potential crimes against humanity in Belarus.

Lithuania requested the investigation in 2024, focusing on its neighboring country’s harsh treatment of opposition movements.

Lithuanian officials contend that Belarus’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has forcibly relocated political dissidents across international borders, establishing the court’s authority to investigate. While Lithuania participates in the ICC, Belarus does not.

This decision creates the possibility that Lukashenko and other Belarusian government officials could face ICC charges.

Exiled Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the announcement. “This decision restores hope — that justice will prevail, that those responsible will be held accountable, and that the victims will finally receive truth and justice,” she told The Associated Press.