Dramatic smart-phone video of slain Venezuelan rebel could trigger ICC probe

The Venezuelan dictatorship’s extra-judicial killing of rebel police inspector Óscar Pérez on Jan. 15 may have bigger repercussions than many suspect: It will be a powerful piece of evidence to help open an investigation into President Nicolás Maduro at the International Criminal Court (ICC.) That’s no small matter, because there is nothing Maduro and his top aides fear more than the ICC. Unlike the human rights agencies of the United Nations and other international organizations, the Hague-based ICC prosecutes individuals — including presidents and ministers — rather than states. If the ICC opens an investigation into Venezuela’s human rights abuses and finds Maduro guilty, it could issue an international warrant for his arrest. More…