The EU and the United States have approved new sanctions against Venezuela coinciding with the inauguration of Nicolás Maduro, whose legitimacy as president is not recognized by either the 27 or Washington. Almost at the same time that the Bolivarian leader was sworn in, in the absence of representation from the majority of countries, Brussels and Washington issued separate statements with the incorporation of new individuals to the lists of sanctioned Venezuelans. In this case, these are people who have legitimized the electoral result, such as representatives of the Supreme Court or the Electoral Council.
“The European Union stands in solidarity with the people of Venezuela, who voted peacefully on July 28, 2024 to determine the future of their country. “Millions of Venezuelans voted for democratic change supporting Edmundo González Urrutia by a significant majority, according to copies of the electoral records available to the public that have been made public,” says EU High Representative Kaja Kallas in a statement. in which he assures that “the Venezuelan authorities have lost a key opportunity to respect the popular will and guarantee a transparent democratic transition with guarantees for all.”
“Nicolás Maduro therefore lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president,” adds the head of European diplomacy. The EU has not recognized Venezuela’s electoral results and has demanded that Maduro make known all the minutes. However, it has not recognized Edmundo González as president-elect after the fiasco of that operation carried out a few years ago with Juan Guaidó. Italy is the only European country that has taken that step. Joe Biden’s Government also made that decision.
The 27 have added 15 new people to the list of those sanctioned. These are representatives of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela, such as the general secretary, Antonio Meneses Rodríguez, the vice president, Carlos Enrique Quintero, among others, from the judicial branch, including the president of the Supreme Court, Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez; and the security forces. Kallas maintains that they are “individuals responsible for undermining democracy, the rule of law or human rights in Venezuela” and that the sanctions do not harm the economy or the people of Venezuela.
Travel restrictions applied to four people who had been temporarily suspended in May 2024 have also been reintroduced “with the aim of promoting the organization of inclusive, credible and competitive elections in Venezuela in July 2024,” according to the Council of the EU in a statement: “These decisions have been taken in light of persistent actions that undermine democracy and the rule of law, as well as continued violations of human rights and repression of civil society and the democratic opposition, also in relation to the holding of the presidential elections on July 28, 2024 and subsequent events.”
The EU thus raises to 69 the total number of people subject to sanctions, which include the freezing of assets and the prohibition of providing the people included on the list, directly or indirectly, with funds or economic resources. Furthermore, these persons are subject to a ban on entry into the European Union.
“Since election day, Venezuelan authorities have tightened repression and harassment against the opposition and civil society and their families, imprisoning dissident voices and forcing their own citizens to live in fear or go into exile. More than 2,500 citizens, including minors, were detained and, although the EU takes note of the release of some of them, none should have spent a single day in detention. “The EU calls on the Venezuelan authorities to end all unjust and arbitrary detentions, including those of dual nationals and foreigners, and to unconditionally release all political prisoners,” Kallas’ statement reads.
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