OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro | Photo: EFE

The Organization of American States, OAS, Secretary General Luis Almagro has announced that he will appoint three people to evaluate ways in which he can take Venezuela to the International Criminal Court, or ICC.

Almagro said the panel of professionals will assess if there is proof of alleged “crimes against humanity.” The three professionals include Manuel Ventura Robles from Costa Rica, Santiago Canton from Argentina and Irwin Cotler from Canada.

Meanwhile, the head of the OAS continues to hold hearings to determine if there’s evidence to use against Venezuela.

The government of Nicaragua rejected the OAS for holding such hearings, which were promoted by Almagro and not the member states.

“This action is in violation of the nature and purposes for which this organization was conceived,” Managua said in a statement.

“To insist in this direction is to pervert the essence and functioning of this organization.”

The Nicaraguan government said the OAS “has no powers other than those expressly conferred on it by the present charter, none of which authorizes it to intervene in matters within the domestic jurisdiction of the member states.”

If the commission determines that there is a basis for denouncing Venezuela at the ICC, Almagro could bring the case forward.

Venezuela has repeatedly accused the OAS and Almagro of promoting intervention and destabilization in Venezuela, with tensions hitting a boiling point in April when Venezuela began the process of leaving the organization.