CARACAS, Venezuela — The government of President Nicolás Maduro demanded that Washington stop piling on punishing financial sanctions aimed at forcing a regime change in Venezuela as it took its case to the International Criminal Court on Thursday. Maduro’s top diplomat accused the Trump administration of causing suffering and death among millions of Venezuelans in the last several years. “We believe that these unilateral, coercive measures are crimes against humanity,” Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said in a news conference after filing the complaint. “They also violate international law and human rights.”The White House is openly trying to drive Maduro from power and was the first of nearly 60 nations to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's legitimate president. They argue that Maduro's reelection in 2018 was invalid in part because the most popular opposition politicians were barred from participating.

Source: International New York Times February 13, 2020 17:25 UTC