Argentine court advances probe into alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Journos News) – An Argentine federal court has ordered prosecutors to continue investigating alleged crimes against humanity committed by members of Venezuela’s National Guard, rejecting a challenge that Argentina lacks jurisdiction. The decision has renewed cautious hope among Venezuelan victims and advocates who say domestic justice remains out of reach while the country’s political system remains unchanged.

The ruling, issued on Thursday and reviewed by The Associated Press, instructs Argentina’s judiciary to proceed under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows national courts to prosecute serious human rights crimes regardless of where they were committed or the nationality of those accused.

Court rejects jurisdiction challenge

The case stems from a criminal complaint filed in Argentina accusing 14 officers of Venezuela’s National Guard of torture, arbitrary detention and other abuses during the violent suppression of anti-government protests in 2014. Those protests marked one of the earliest large-scale crackdowns under then-President Nicolás Maduro, with security forces accused by rights groups of killing protesters and subjecting detainees to severe mistreatment.

Argentina opened its investigation in 2023 after survivors and relatives of victims traveled to Buenos Aires to give testimony. Court filings include detailed accounts of beatings, electric shocks and prolonged isolation, according to lawyers involved in the case.

One of the accused, former National Guard commander Justo José Noguera Pietri, sought to have the case dismissed and an outstanding arrest warrant voided, arguing that Argentina had no authority to investigate Venezuelan officials. A federal appeals court rejected that request, citing what it described as the “extreme gravity” of the alleged crimes.

Judges said Argentina’s legal framework obliges its courts to pursue crimes against humanity when credible evidence is presented, even if the alleged acts occurred abroad.

A message beyond the courtroom

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs said the timing of the decision carried broader significance, coming amid rapid and confusing political developments surrounding Venezuela.

“This ruling is a reminder that accountability processes cannot be subordinated to short-term political calculations,” said Ignacio Jovtis, Latin America director at InterJust, an organization representing three Venezuelan plaintiffs. “Victims in Venezuela are still waiting for justice.”

Jovtis said scenes of high-profile arrests or detainee releases abroad may offer emotional relief but do not substitute for legal processes aimed at establishing truth, responsibility and reparations.

Argentina’s experience with accountability

Human rights experts say Argentina is uniquely positioned to pursue such cases. The country is internationally recognized for its decades-long effort to prosecute crimes committed during its own military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983, a period in which as many as 30,000 people were killed or forcibly disappeared.

Since the early 2000s, Argentine courts have tried and sentenced more than 1,200 former military and security officials, many to life imprisonment. Hundreds of additional cases remain pending.

Argentina is also among a small number of countries whose laws allow domestic courts to investigate crimes against humanity committed outside national borders. In recent years, Argentine judges have examined cases linked to abuses under Spain’s Francisco Franco, as well as allegations involving Myanmar’s military and its treatment of Rohingya Muslims.

Venezuelans look abroad for justice

For many Venezuelans, Argentina represents an alternative to stalled or inaccessible justice mechanisms at home and to the slow-moving processes of international courts.

While the International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into alleged crimes in Venezuela, progress has been gradual. Advocates say that reality has pushed victims to seek accountability wherever legal pathways remain open.

“For us, this is not a symbolic investigation,” Jovtis said. “We want the perpetrators to go before an Argentine judge and be tried here.”

A separate case filed recently in Argentina targets senior Venezuelan figures, including Maduro and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, along with other officials still in positions of power. An Argentine judge this week requested their extradition, a move that is largely procedural but signals judicial willingness to advance the case.

Political shifts and muted diplomacy

The court ruling also came as regional politics around Venezuela appeared to shift. Argentine President Javier Milei, a vocal critic of Maduro and a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, initially welcomed Maduro’s capture by U.S. forces and called for Venezuela’s opposition-backed president-elect, Edmundo González Urrutia, to take office.

Milei has previously expressed support for Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and attended an international ceremony honoring her last year.

However, after Washington endorsed Maduro ally Delcy Rodríguez to oversee a political transition, Argentine government statements softened. References to democratic restoration disappeared from official communications, and a recent call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Argentina’s foreign minister focused instead on security cooperation and narcotics trafficking.

Fear persists on the ground

Inside Venezuela, initial public euphoria following Maduro’s removal has given way to renewed anxiety. Pro-government civilian groups known as “colectivos” have increased their presence in Caracas, according to residents and analysts.

“People are deleting messages and clearing their phones because colectivos are checking for anything critical of the government,” said Ricardo Hausmann, a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. “Without basic rights, political change means very little for ordinary Venezuelans.”

Although some detainees were released this week, journalists and activists say repression continues. Luis Carlos Díaz, a Venezuelan journalist briefly detained in 2019, said the Argentine case offered more hope than recent political gestures.

“The repressive machinery has not stopped,” Díaz said. “That’s why it’s essential that judicial processes abroad remain open. If justice had to wait for the dictatorship to fall, many of us would not live to see it.”