Saving Venezuela with the long arm of the law

On Sept. 25, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay agreed to ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate crimes against humanity in Venezuela. Together the six countries represent about three-quarters of Latin America’s population. Their request is an easy call. Several human-rights bodies have already documented the impunity of Venezuelan officials under President Nicolás Maduro in the killing of hundreds of protesters and political dissidents since 2014. Amnesty International, for example, found 22 percent of homicides committed in 2016 were by government security officers. And Mr. Maduro’s harsh rule and high-level corruption have also led to mass hunger and the exodus of more than 7 percent of the population to surrounding nations. A new poll found 20.5 percent of Venezuelans would leave the country if Maduro stays in power and the economy does not improve. More…