The United States has issued new sanctions on sixteen allies of Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, accusing them of obstructing the July 28 election and of aiding the crackdown that followed a vote widely seen to have been stolen.
“Today, the United States is taking decisive action against Maduro and his representatives for their repression of the Venezuelan people and denial of their citizens’ rights to a free and fair election,” Deputy Secretary of the treasury, Wally Adeyemo said as he announced the new sanctions.
Adeyemo added that the treasury department was “targeting key officials involved in Maduro’s fraudulent and illegitimate claims of victory and his brutal crackdown on free expression following the election, as the overwhelming majority of Venezuelans call for change.”
Those targeted include members of the supreme court and the country’s electoral council, including their respective chiefs, Caryslia Rodríguez and Antonio Jose Meneses, “who impeded a transparent electoral process and the release of accurate election results.”
According to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), others on the new sanctions list are military leaders, intelligence officials and government officers “responsible for intensifying repression through intimidation, indiscriminate detentions and censorship.”
Hours after polls closed on 28 July, Venezuela’s electoral authorities declared Maduro the victor, though they never released detailed vote tallies to back up their claim, while the opposition compiled concrete proof that the opposition candidate, Edmundo González had won.
Amid global condemnation over the lack of transparency Venezuela’s high court, stacked with ruling party loyalists, reaffirmed Maduro’s victory.
In the ensuing crackdown, at least 2,000 people have been arrested, and González himself fled to Spain.
The new sanctions come just days after González was forced to leave Venezuela under the threat of arrest by the regime.
Maduro himself has been under US sanctions since 2017.
The potential effect of the individual sanctions and visa restrictions announced on Thursday, September 11, 2024, is unclear.
Previously punished Maduro loyalists still play key roles in Venezuela’s government, including as Vice President, Attorney General and Defense Minister.
Sanctions To Prompt Deeper Reflection Among Maduro Allies
A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the U.S. expects the latest announcement to “prompt deeper reflection” among the Maduro allies about how far they will go to help him in his effort to stay in power.
The Treasury has penalized more than 140 current or former Venezuelan officials.
The State Department has identified nearly 2,000 people as possibly facing visa restrictions over allegations of corruption, undermining democracy or violating Venezuelans’ human rights.
Venezuela’s government released a statement that characterized the latest set of sanctions as a “rude act that seeks to ingratiate itself with a political class that has resorted to fascist and violent practices to overthrow, without success,” Maduro.
Meanwhile, a joint statement from more than 50 countries that was delivered on Thursday at the United Nations by Panama’s Foreign Minister, Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, called on Venezuela’s National Electoral Council “to immediately publish” the tally sheets and “allow for the impartial verification of results by independent observers to promote credibility, legitimacy, and a transparent electoral process.”
The signatories, including the U.S., Spain, Chile and South Korea, also denounced the repression measures that Maduro’s government has been accused of carrying out after the election, including arbitrary detentions, intimidation tactics and killings.
The statement added, “We express deep concern with the politically motivated arrest warrant by Venezuelan authorities” that was issued September 3 for González and “has forced him into exile.”
González, in a statement posted on X, tried to reassure voters of his pledge to see a government transition in Venezuela.
“My commitment to the mandate I have received from the sovereign people of Venezuela is unwavering,” he wrote.
He added, “The battle that Maria Corina Machado and I have led remains unwavering.”
READ ALSO: GCB Bank PLC Crowned CIMG Marketing-Oriented Bank 2023
