Venezuela Reinforces Its Lawsuit Against US Sanctions

Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza informed the delivery of new documents to sustain his country's lawsuit before the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the U.S government for crimes against humanity.

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Venezuelan diplomacy submitted the latest reports by the United Nations rapporteur Alena Douhan and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the impacts of the sanctions on the country. 

The documents confirmed the negative effects produced on the Bolivarian nation and warned that the sanctions seek to limit its income sources.

In a bid to tackle U.S. interference policy, Venezuela requested the ICC Prosecutor's Office Chief Fatou Bensouda to open an investigation for crimes against humanity since the sanctions heavily affect the population.

On Feb. 8, 2021, the GAO admitted that the Venezuelan economy started to drop sharply between 2015 and 2019, a period in which its gross domestic product (GDP) contracted from -6.2 to -35 percent.

The UN preliminary report highlighted the obstacles to access monetary resources deposited in foreign banks for food, medicines, and technology purchases. It also decried the commercial blockade on the oil industry that generates the main inflow of foreign currency.

"All legal mechanisms must be used to allow the Venezuelan government to restore its social and development projects. That is why I emphasize dialogue, the rule of law, and respect for human rights between States," Dohuan said.