A/HRC/45/CRP.11 International Criminal Law 56. In its efforts to characterize appropriately the human rights violations and crimes it investigated, the Mission has considered aspects of international criminal law. This body of law governs the situations in which individuals can be held individually criminally responsible for gross violations of international human rights law that amount to crimes under international law. 57. Venezuela deposited its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 7 June 2000. The International Criminal Court may therefore exercise its jurisdiction over Rome Statute crimes committed on the territory of Venezuela or by its nationals from 1 July 2002 onwards. The preliminary examination of the situation in Venezuela was announced on 8 February 2018. It will analyse crimes allegedly committed in this State Party since at least April 2017, in the context of demonstrations and related political unrest. 58. On 27 September 2018, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor received a referral from a group of States Parties to the Rome Statute, namely the Argentine Republic, Canada, the Republic of Colombia, the Republic of Chile, the Republic of Paraguay and the Republic of Peru regarding the situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela since 12 February 2014.72 59. On 13 February 2020, the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC received a referral from the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under article 14 of the Rome Statute regarding the situation in its own territory. In the referral, the Government of Venezuela requested the Prosecutor to initiate an investigation into crimes against humanity allegedly committed on the territory of Venezuela “as a result of the application of unlawful coercive measures adopted unilaterally by the Government of the United States of America against Venezuela, at least since the year 2014”.73 II. Background 72 73 Pursuant to article 14 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court the referring States request the Prosecutor to initiate an investigation on crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the territory of Venezuela since 12 February 2014, with the view to determining whether one or more persons should be charged with the commission of such crimes. See https://www.icccpi.int/venezuela. See https://www.icc-cpi.int/venezuelaII. 13