US Venezuela action raises ‘serious questions’
The International Bar Association (IBA) has expressed concern about the recent US military intervention in Venezuela.
The action resulted in captured president Nicolas Maduro being brought before a New York court yesterday (5 January) to face charges of drug trafficking, to which he pleaded not guilty.
The lawyers’ group said that the US move, “regardless of any asserted justifiability”, raised “serious questions” under international law.
‘Well-documented’ allegations
The IBA said that it was aware of the “grave and well-documented" allegations against Maduro and senior members of his government, citing serious human-rights violations, the suppression of democratic institutions, and conduct that has contributed to widespread humanitarian suffering.
“These allegations are deeply troubling and warrant robust scrutiny and accountability both under domestic and international law, pursued through lawful mechanisms, including international or independent domestic judicial processes,” an IBA statement said.
It added, however, that the United Nations Charter enshrined the essence of the international legal order – including the sovereign equality of states, the prohibition of intervention in matters within domestic jurisdiction, and the prohibition on the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
Democratic transition
“These principles are binding on all UN member states,” the IBA stated.
“Measures or policies aimed at coercing political change in another state, when undertaken outside internationally recognised legal frameworks, are inconsistent with these obligations and risk normalising conduct that international law was designed to prevent.
“Even in the face of ongoing reprehensible conduct by state leaders, adherence to international law remains essential to preserving the integrity of the rules-based international order,” the IBA concluded, calling for a democratic transition in Venezuela that respected the rule of law.