‘Where is the evidence?’ – Guyana says Venezuela’s arguments at ICJ only passionate rhetoric

Renowned international lawyer Paul Reichler delivered a forceful closing argument on Friday before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Venezuela of failing to provide evidence in its long-running border dispute with Guyana and relying instead on what he described as “passionate rhetoric” and historical narrative.

The case concerns the long-disputed 160,000-square-kilometre Essequibo region, a resource-rich territory that makes up the majority of Guyana’s landmass and has been at the centre of a century-old legal and diplomatic conflict.

Opening his submission, Reichler repeatedly questioned the strength of Venezuela’s case, arguing that it had not responded to Guyana’s documentary record.

“Where is the evidence?” he asked, telling the court that Venezuela had been given multiple opportunities to respond but had instead relied on argumentation and historical interpretation rather than contemporaneous documentation.

He said the evidentiary record presented by Guyana remained “unanswered and unchallenged,” and that it directly contradicted Venezuela’s claims over sovereignty of the territory.

A significant portion of Reichler’s argument focused on what he called Venezuela’s “self-serving narrative” of history.

He rejected Venezuela’s framing of itself as a victim of colonial-era injustice, instead arguing that the documentary record showed Venezuela had, at various points, actively sought arbitration over the territory and later accepted the outcomes.

Reichler told the court that Venezuela’s interpretation of events reversed the roles of “victim and aggressor,” and that it had no evidentiary basis in the historical record.

The lawyer defended the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the boundary between then-British Guiana and Venezuela, arguing that Venezuela had presented no proof that Spain or Venezuela had ever occupied the disputed territory.

He referenced historical maps and archival records presented by Guyana, stating they demonstrated continuous occupation of the region by Dutch and later British authorities, not Spanish or Venezuelan control.

Reichler also rejected claims that subsequent agreements, including the 1966 Geneva Agreement, nullified the 1899 award.

He argued instead that the agreement preserved existing legal positions pending a final settlement, rather than replacing or invalidating the arbitral ruling.

According to Reichler, Venezuela’s interpretation of the agreement was inconsistent with its text and with prior legal understandings acknowledged by the court.

In a broader critique, Reichler dismissed Venezuela’s portrayal of itself as a leading anti-colonial voice in the region as “inconsistent with the historical record.”

He argued that Venezuela’s actions over the decades were driven by strategic interest in the resource-rich territory rather than principles of decolonisation.

The hearing formed part of a week-long session at the ICJ in The Hague, where both Guyana and Venezuela are presenting final arguments in a case that could determine the legal status of the disputed Essequibo region.

Guyana has asked the court to confirm the validity of the 1899 boundary settlement, while Venezuela continues to challenge the court’s jurisdiction and insists the matter should be resolved through negotiations.

A final ruling from the ICJ is expected in the coming months.

 

 

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