UN court bars Venezuela from altering Guyana’s control over disputed territory

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ top court has ordered Venezuela not to take any action that would alter Guyana’s control over a disputed territory. But the International Court of Justice did not specifically ban Venezuela from holding a referendum Sunday on the territory’s future. After Guyana asked the court to order a halt to parts of the referendum, the court on Friday instead ruled that Venezuela “refrain from taking any action which would modify that situation that currently prevails” in the disputed Essequibo region that makes up some two-thirds of  Guyana. The legally binding ruling remains in place until a case brought by Guyana against Venezuela on the future of the region is considered by the court.