U.S. sanctions 16 Maduro officials accused of electoral fraud and repression in Venezuela

This Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on 16 Venezuelan officials aligned with the Nicolás Maduro regime, who are accused of obstructing the electoral process and violating the civil and human rights.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which operates as part of the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury sanctioned members of the Maduro controlled National Electoral Council (CNE), the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) and National Assembly, for “falsely” proclaiming the victory of Maduro in the presidential elections of July 28.

Among those sanctioned are the TSJ President Caryslia Rodríguez, the CNE General Secretary Antonio José Meneses, National Assembly Vice President Pedro Infante Aparicio.

The Treasury Dept. statement alleges that those sanctioned “prevented a transparent electoral process and the publication of accurate election results.”

“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,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo.

“The Treasury Department is 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. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to use our tools to hold Maduro and his cronies accountable and support the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people.”

The statement says that Maduro officials have arrested Venezuelans simply for exercising their political and civil rights, “and have deployed a series of intimidation tactics to silence the opposition,” including a recent Venezuelan arrest warrant against opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who recently requested political asylum in Spain.

At the same time, the State Dept. imposed new visa restrictions on Maduro-aligned officials who have undermined the electoral process in Venezuela and are responsible for acts of repression. 

“With these new visa restrictions imposed, nearly 2,000 individuals have been subject to visa restrictions for their role in the weakening of democracy, significant corruption, and human rights violations,” the statement said.

The CNE proclaimed Maduro's re-election in the elections of July 28 without publishing voting records, while the opposition claims that its standard-bearer, González Urrutia, won with 67% of the votes.