It's an unusual picture taken in the Miraflores Presidential Palace.

It shows Venezuela's socialist ruler Nicolás Maduro and Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC).

They are holding two documents in their hands.

It is an agreement that both sides signed on Wednesday.

The ICC wants to investigate whether crimes against humanity were committed during the protests against the socialist government in 2017.

Tim Niendorf

Political Editor.

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One hundred protesters were killed at the time.

In the same year, the National Assembly elected in 2015, in which the opposition had a two-thirds majority, was ousted and replaced by a constituent assembly.

At least since his controversial re-election in 2019, Maduro has been largely isolated internationally.

Maduro feels pressure from many sides

Venezuela's president didn't care much at first. For some time now, however, there have been signs of rapprochement with the international community. The chief prosecutor decided to investigate the truth, Maduro said on television. “We don't share the decision, but we respect it.” So it's not just an unusual picture, it's also unusual words that he chooses. Opposition politician Juan Guaidó, who proclaimed himself counter-president almost three years ago, welcomed the news. Above all, it is a reason for the victims of the protests and their family members to hope for late justice.

Last year, a commission commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council had accused Maduro's government of crimes against humanity in a report. The report mentioned torture and extrajudicial executions.

But why is Maduro now comparatively open?

One thing is clear: Venezuela's rulers are currently under pressure - and that comes from many sides.

It has long been evident that millions of Venezuelans have fled the country.

Then there are the economic misery and sanctions against the government.

Recently, Maduro has had to worry about something else, because the American judiciary has got its hands on the former secret service chief Hugo Carvajal and the businessman Alex Saab, a former key figure in Maduro.

Maduro therefore feels compelled to move a bit away from his blockade stance, especially since regional elections are coming up soon, in which the opposition will come back and there will be international observers again after many years.