US imposes sanctions on 16 Venezuelan officials linked to Maduro

The United States imposed sanctions on 16 allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. This was a response to the falsification of election results and government repression of the opposition.

RBC-Ukraine reports with reference to Reuters.

The administration of US President Joe Biden announced the sanctions on Thursday, September 13. This happened only a few days after opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez was forced to flee to Spain, as Maduro's government issued a warrant for his arrest. It should be noted that the United States and a number of other countries recognize the opposition leader as the winner of the July presidential election.

It is noted that among those affected by the sanctions were Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Cariclia Rodriguez, Director of the Electoral Council Rosalda Gil, and Vice President of the National Assembly Pedro Infante. The list also includes other election-related individuals, as well as military and intelligence officials accused of post-election repression.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that as part of the first punitive measures, Washington is also imposing visa restrictions on an undetermined number of “Maduro-affiliated” officials in response to Maduro's controversial re-election bid.

At the same time, the United States has not announced new measures against the energy sector of the OPEC member country, which is already under tough US sanctions. This, in turn, raises questions about the potential impact of the new measures.

Reuters writes that the Biden administration is seeking to punish Maduro and his supporters for failing to fulfill promises to hold fair democratic elections. At the same time, America is putting pressure on him to start negotiations with the opposition.

“The U.S. Treasury Department is pursuing key officials involved in Maduro's fraudulent and illegal victory claims and his brutal suppression of free speech after the election, while the vast majority of Venezuelans are calling for change,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo.

At the same time, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Hill said on Telegram that the government rejects “a new crime of US aggression against Venezuela, which is to impose ‘unilateral, illegal and unlawful’ measures against state officials.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 13/09/2024