Prosecutor in Argentina launches investigation into alleged human rights crimes in Venezuela

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A prosecutor in Argentina has launched an investigation into potential crimes against humanity in Venezuela following a criminal complaint filed by the Clooney Foundation for Justice. Federal prosecutor Carlos Stornelli noted that the complaint pointed to the responsibility of several high-ranking members of the Venezuelan National Guard in human rights abuses during 2014 street protests against the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The move by the foundation set up by actor George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, marks the latest effort to use the South American country’s legal system and the principle of universal jurisdiction to prosecute crimes against humanity committed elsewhere.