An Australia-based international law organisation has strongly criticised the US intervention in Venezuela, calling on the Australian government to publicly denounce the move.
The Association for the Promotion of International Law (APIL) has issued a sharp rebuke of the United States’ intervention in Venezuela, describing the situation as a “manifest breach of international law”.
This follows a major US military operation on 3 January in which American forces carried out strikes across Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife before flying them out of the country and transporting them to the US.
In a statement, the Australian legal NGO warned that the seizure of Venezuelan political leaders, coupled with claims that the US intends to “control the country and its oil”, threatens the foundations of the UN Charter and “strike[s] at the heart” of the system.
According to APIL, the US’ reported aerial strikes and deployment of special forces not only violate article 2(4) of the UN Charter, but also “likely amounts to an act of aggression in general international law”.
Acknowledging the US’ stated intention to “run” Venezuela and control its oil resources, APIL stressed that such actions “could constitute the war crime of pillage and violate the Venezuelan people’s right to self-determination”.
The Australia-based NGO warned that such behaviour also risks “dragging the world back to an era of imperial intervention”, a threat the organisation said is heightened by similar rhetoric previously directed towards Greenland, Cuba, and Colombia.
Professor Emily Crawford, an expert in international humanitarian law, underlined the seriousness of the breach, calling the conduct a stark and unprecedented violation of established legal norms.
“The scale of this military intervention could clearly trigger an international armed conflict. The forcible abduction of a sitting head of state – who enjoys absolute immunity under customary law – is in flagrant disregard of one of the cornerstones of our international legal system,” Crawford said.
“Furthermore, any attempt to seize natural resources under the guise of ‘regime change’ is a direct path to the war crime of pillage.”
In light of the severity of the breach, APIL is urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian government to publicly denounce the actions of the US.
The organisation is specifically calling on Canberra to apply the same consistency in upholding international law to the US as it has demonstrated in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Associate Professor Matthew Zagor warned that Australia has a “duty of non‑recognition” and must not tacitly endorse aggression, cautioning that silence could undermine the integrity of international law and embolden the US to target other countries.
“As a member of the international community, Australia has a ‘duty of non-recognition.’ We cannot render aid, assistance, or even tacit political endorsement to a situation born from a manifest act of aggression,” Zagor said.
“Our legal obligations are not selective; they apply with equal force to our allies as they do to our adversaries. To remain silent is to undermine the integrity of the global legal order, and may give license to the US to go further, for example, by attacking Colombia or Greenland.”
In addition to urging the Australian government to act, the organisation has called on international institutions to “support immediate accountability and reparations for these violations”.
Anthony Albanese called for a “peaceful, democratic transition” in Venezuela, urging all parties to engage in “dialogue and diplomacy” to “secure regional stability and prevent escalation”.
He said: “We continue to support international law and a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.”
