The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action that would affect Guyana’s control of its Essequibo region, pending the court’s final decision in the border controversy case.
By a unanimous decision, the court on Friday delivered provisional measures intended to avoid any aggravation.
These measures provide that:
- The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, shall refrain from taking any action, which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Cooperative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.
- Both parties must refrain from any action that can aggravate or extend the dispute before the court or make it more difficult to resolve.
These measures are legally binding and prevent Venezuela from taking any actions upon Guyanese territory regardless of the outcome of its scheduled referendum.
Delivering the order, President of the Court, Judge Joan E. Donoghue accepted Guyana’s argument that the questions in Venezuela’s referendum, specifically question five, which speaks to the annexing of Guyana’s Essequibo region, present a ‘risk of irreparable prejudice’ before the court delivers its final decision.
READ MORE: Venezuela must refrain from taking any action against Guyana – ICJ rules – DPI Guyana