US imposes sanctions on 16 Venezuelan officials, including Supreme Court chief

MEXICO CITY (France24).- On Thursday, September 12, the US government announced sanctions against 16 officials linked to the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, including Caryslia Rodriguez, president of the Supreme Court, the body that ratified the president’s re-election in the elections of July 28, as previously indicated by the National Electoral Council (CNE). These measures add to Washington’s efforts to emphasize its rejection of Maduro’s proclaimed re-election, despite the fact that more than a month after the elections, Caracas has still not shown the electoral records to prove it.

Washington continues to exert pressure on Venezuela. On Thursday, September 12, the Joe Biden administration announced that it will impose sanctions on 16 officials of Nicolás Maduro, president of the Latin American country.

In response to what it calls “widespread electoral fraud,” the United States has imposed sanctions against Supreme Court President Caryslia Rodríguez; National Electoral Council Director Rosalba Gil; and National Assembly Vice President Pedro Infante, among a broader list of officials that includes people linked to the elections and military and intelligence officials who allegedly carried out a campaign of repression following the July 28 vote.

These sanctions block all of the defendants’ properties and assets in the United States and they will not be able to carry out financial transactions.

At the same time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says his country is imposing visa restrictions on an unspecified number of officials “aligned with Maduro.”

Regarding the attempts to put pressure on Venezuela, Wally Adeyemo, US Undersecretary of the Treasury, said that his country “is taking decisive action against Maduro and his representatives for their repression of the Venezuelan people and the denial of the rights of its citizens to a free and fair election.”

Adeyemo also said his ministry is targeting members of Maduro’s government and “key officials involved in Maduro’s fraudulent and illegitimate claims of victory.”

Read alsoInternational outrage grows over arrest warrant for Maduro rival; US warns of measures

Venezuela denounces sanctions as a “crime of aggression”

Maduro’s foreign minister, Yvan Gil, said in a message on Telegram that his government rejects the “new crime of aggression by the United States against Venezuela by imposing unilateral, illegitimate and illegal coercive measures on state officials.”

So far, Washington has not reported any new developments on a key issue for both countries: oil. The US has not yet announced new sanctions against Venezuela’s vital energy sector, which has previously been sanctioned by the United States.

Washington’s cautious response, as some U.S. officials stress, reflects misgivings about actions that could drive up global oil prices or inflict serious damage on Venezuela’s already troubled economy, out of fear they could spur a greater flow of migrants from that Latin American country to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Thursday’s announcement comes just days after Edmundo González Urrutia’s arrival in Spain. The former presidential candidate was forced to leave his country after Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant against him.

Now, from Spanish soil, the opposition leader will have to coordinate his efforts with his right-hand woman, María Corina Machado, who remains in her country denouncing alleged electoral fraud and who in recent days promised that González will be sworn in as president next January, as dictated by Venezuelan regulations.

Read also: Opposition leader González Urrutia threatened with jail if he does not comply with new summons from Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office

With Reuters and EFE