ICC prosecutor rejects Venezuela delay request, will seek investigation

FILE PHOTO: International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan poses during an interview with Reuters at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, March 3, 2022. REUTERS/Christian Levaux

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan has rejected a request by Venezuela to delay an ICC probe into alleged human rights violations, according to documents released on Thursday, and he will seek to reopen a full investigation.

Caracas had sought the delay in order to show that authorities there were ready and able to conduct their own investigation into alleged crimes committed since 2017 under the rule of President Nicholas Maduro.