On the 8th, Republican Party senator Ted Cruz asked the president of the United States, Joe Biden, to apply sanctions against the current vice president of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner.
Cruz stated that the American government must stop “turning a blind eye” and sanction the former Argentine president for corruption.
“Biden’s State Department is turning a blind eye to Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s corruption sanctions. She is a convicted kleptocrat who has been accused of obstructing investigations into Iranian terrorism,” said Cruz, who is a Texas state senator , on your X account (new Twitter name).
“The Kirchner criminal family looted Argentina’s coffers. They may have immunity in Argentina, but that does not exempt them from the sanctions laws approved by Congress,” he added.
President Biden’s administration has not commented on Cruz’s request.
In Latin America there are currently several members of government and a head of state who are under sanctions from the American government. Among the reasons for applying these sanctions are human rights violations, corruption and even involvement in international drug trafficking.
The sanctions applied by the American government are classified in two ways, namely primary sanctions and secondary sanctions.
Primary sanctions occur when the US has jurisdiction over a person or company. This means that the person or entity hit by US sanctions is prohibited from doing business with the US government and companies.
Furthermore, assets linked to the sanctioned individual that are in American territory or under the control of American companies are frozen.
Secondary sanctions are applied by the American government even if there is no US jurisdiction over the target that received the punishment. This means that, even if the person or entity does not have direct ties to the US, they can still be the target of sanctions from the largest power in the world.
Penalties for those who violate or attempt to circumvent these sanctions include fines and even prison sentences.
The sanctions applied by the Americans reach diplomatic, military, sporting and even economic fields. In the case of economic sanctions, there may be a ban on the import or export of certain goods, a ban on investments in the punished country, a ban on the provision of certain services or freezing of bank accounts.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list is where the names of those individuals who have been sanctioned in recent years by the US government are published. Currently, OFAC administers more than 30 different sanctions programs, each with its own criteria and requirements.
The agency’s best-known list is the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list – known as the SDN List. It contains the names of people, organizations and companies that are prohibited from doing business with the United States or with American citizens.
This list is frequently updated by OFAC and can be consulted using a search tool available on the American agency’s website.
US sanctions also apply to all US citizens, permanent residents, entities, organizations and persons subject to US jurisdiction, regardless of where they are located.
Sanctions also apply to people or entities acting on behalf of those who received the punishment.
Below, we will present the main names of government members and the name of the head of state who are currently on the American government’s sanctioned list.
Cuba
The dictatorship led by Miguel Díaz-Canel currently has six names that occupy high-ranking positions in the communist regime on the US government’s list of those sanctioned.
In addition to them, Cuba itself currently faces embargoes and economic sanctions from the American government. The Minister of the Interior of the Cuban Regime, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas is the first to occupy this list.
Casas was sanctioned by the American government in January 2021, just days before former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) left the White House. The punishment was due to his involvement in serious cases of human rights abuses on the island. The US still claims that Casas allowed Cuban police to torture and arrest members of the opposition to the Castro regime.
In addition to Casas, the list includes members of the communist regime’s high military echelon. Among them are: Oscar Alejandro Callejas Valcarce, who currently holds the position of head of political and military direction at the Cuban Ministry of the Interior; Andrés Laureano González Brito, currently commander of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR); Álvaro López Miera, current Minister of the FAR of Cuba; Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, deputy chief minister of the Cuban General Staff and General of the FAR and Eddy Manuel Sierra Arias, current head of the general directorate of the Cuban National Revolutionary Police.
All of these individuals were sanctioned by the American government for their involvement in acts of human rights violations and participation in repressive actions carried out against opponents and civilians who demonstrate against the Castro dictatorship or who ask for more freedom and improvements in the country’s economy.
Nicaragua
The Sandinista regime, led by dictator Daniel Ortega, also has high-ranking members sanctioned by the American government.
Ortega has been tightening repressive actions in Nicaragua and stands before the international community as a fervent anti-American.
Among the members of his regime who are currently on the list of people sanctioned by the US government are his current Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Iván Adolfo Acosta Montalván.
The American sanction against Montalván was applied in 2020, during the Trump administration. It occurred due to the minister’s support for the repressive actions carried out by Ortega against opponents of his regime and critics.
In addition, the president of the Nicaraguan Mines Company (ENIMINAS), Ruy Delgado López, also received sanctions from the American government. Both ENIMINAS and López were sanctioned in 2022 for deepening their relations with Russia and supporting the repressive actions of the Sandinista regime.
Nahima Janett Díaz Flores, current director of the Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services (Telcor), was also sanctioned by the US government for supporting the Ortega regime in 2022. The Americans accused her of being complicit in the spread of impunity and repression of Nicaraguan dictatorship.
Francisco Javier Díaz Madriz, current director general of the Nicaraguan National Police and father of Nahima Janett Díaz Flores, was also sanctioned by the US government in 2018.
The Nicaraguan list also includes the current vice-president of the Sandinista regime and wife of the dictator Ortega, Rosario María Murillo Zambrana, who was sanctioned in 2018 for being an accomplice in the repressive actions perpetrated by her husband.
In addition to the dictator’s wife, two of Ortega’s sons, who currently hold positions in his regime: Juan Carlos Ortega Murillo and Rafael Antonio Ortega Murillo, were also sanctioned by the American government.
Juan is currently a business advisor to the Sandinista regime and Rafael is head of the Nicaraguan State Oil Company.
Venezuela
Venezuela is not left off the US government’s sanctioned list. Members of Nicolás Maduro’s regime, including Maduro himself, face punishment from the American government for their human rights violations, involvement in international drug trafficking and persecution of political opponents.
Nicolás Maduro Moros, the dictator of Venezuela, tops the list. He was sanctioned by the American government for his involvement in international drug trafficking and for continuing to allow repressive actions to be carried out against those who dare question his way of governing the South American country.
Next to Maduro is his wife, Cilia Adela Gavidia Flores de Maduro, who is currently also a member of the Venezuelan National Assembly and was also sanctioned by the US for condoning and supporting repression in her country.
In addition to them, the current Minister of Popular Power of Venezuela, Jorge Alberto Arreaza Monserrat, who has been sanctioned since 2019, the Venezuelan deputy Diosdado Cabello Rondon, who is number two in Chavismo, Maduro’s main ally and member of the Socialist Party, were also sanctioned by the US. United Kingdom of Venezuela (PSUV) and his brother, José David Cabello, who is the current superintendent of Seniat, the Venezuelan government body responsible for the country’s tax and customs services.
In addition to the members of governments and the head of state present, the OFAC list currently includes several other names, including people linked to international drug trafficking, international sexual exploitation networks, people who continue to support Russia in its invasion to Ukrainian territory, people involved in Islamic jihadist terrorism and those who threaten US national security and interests.
Cristina Kirchner has not yet received any sanctions from the American government, but she is once again being tried for her alleged attempt to cover up people from Iran who may have been involved in the terrorist attack carried out in 1994 against the Argentine Mutual Israelite Association (AMIA) building.
Iran is currently one of the countries also living under US economic sanctions.
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