The United States applied sanctions this Thursday (12) against 16 Venezuelan public officials, including members of the National Electoral Council (CNE), the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) and the National Assembly, for “falsely” proclaiming the victory of dictator Nicolás Maduro in the presidential elections of July 28.
Among those sanctioned are the president of the TSJ, Caryslia Rodríguez, the general secretary of the CNE, Antonio José Meneses, and the vice-president of the National Assembly, Pedro Infante Aparicio.
“Rather than respect the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the ballot box, Maduro and his proxies have falsely proclaimed victory while repressing and intimidating the democratic opposition in an illegitimate attempt to hold on to power,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
In total, the US Treasury Department announced financial sanctions on 16 people “linked to Maduro”, including members of the CNE, the Supreme Court and the National Assembly, whom it accuses of having “prevented a transparent electoral process and the publication of accurate electoral results”.
Under these sanctions, all of their property and assets in the United States are blocked and they are prohibited from conducting financial transactions.
The US Treasury recalled that Caryslia Rodríguez, as president of the high court, certified the “baseless claim that Maduro won the elections, despite well-founded allegations of widespread electoral fraud.”
In addition, it sanctioned judges Fanny Beatriz Márquez, Inocencio Figueroa, Malaquías Gil Rodríguez and Juan Carlos Hidalgo, as well as prosecutor Luis Ernesto Duéñez, who issued the arrest warrant against opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who the United States considers the winner of the elections.
Also on the list are Rosalba Gil Pacheco, from the CNE, for “obstruction of democracy”, and the interim secretary general of the electoral body, António José Meneses, for introducing “irregularities in the electoral register”.
Other notable figures on the list of those sanctioned include the commander of the Armed Forces Domingo Hernández and the commander of the Bolivarian National Guard Elio Estrada, who are accused of repressing the Venezuelan population.
In parallel, the US State Department banned entry into the US of “officials aligned with Maduro who have undermined the electoral process in Venezuela and who are responsible for acts of repression.”
With the measures announced today, more than 140 Venezuelan officials have now been sanctioned by the US Treasury, while nearly 2,000 people are subject to visa restrictions by the State Department.
In a phone call with reporters, officials from Joe Biden’s administration said they will continue to closely monitor the situation in Venezuela to assess whether it is necessary to impose new sanctions, although they did not say whether they intend to impose new restrictions on the Caribbean country’s oil.
“The United States will continue to hold accountable those who undermine democracy in Venezuela,” Blinken warned.
The CNE proclaimed Maduro’s reelection in the July 28 elections without publishing the voting records, but the opposition claims victory for González, who recently requested asylum in Spain.
Regarding the opposition candidate, American sources highlighted that González “continues to be an indisputable voice for peace and democratic change in Venezuela.”
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