US sanctions Venezuelan officials in response to presidential election

As Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ignores calls to cede power and admit defeat in the country’s presidential election in July, the United States issued sanctions against his regime Thursday.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 16 government officials believed to be Maduro sympathizers and complicit in the country’s election fraud by helping Maduro remain in power even though election results show he lost to opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia of the Democratic Unitary Platform.

Those the Treasury Department took action against are members of Venezuela ’s National Electoral Council and Supreme Tribunal of Justice who allegedly engaged in election interference and fraud and ignored requests to release legitimate election results. They are accused of repressing and violating citizens’ rights “through intimidation, indiscriminate detentions, and censorship.”

“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,” Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.

“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," he added. "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.”

Additionally, the State Department announced visa restrictions on 2,000 people suspected of being “Maduro-aligned officials” as accomplices in Venezuela’s election fraud and “responsible for acts of repression” and “undermining democracy, significant corruption, and human rights violations.”

Venezuela’s presidential election results have been controversial since voting ended on July 28, and both candidates declared victory . The National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, claiming he received 51% of the vote. However, it has yet to provide proof.

Exit polls showed Gonzalez had a significant lead at the time. Moreover, the opposition party claimed it had obtained 70% of the tally sheets from the election to support its claims of Gonzalez’s victory .

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Since then, protests and demonstrations have plagued the country, with Maduro’s government cracking down on dissenters and arresting hundreds of people.

Maduro issued an arrest warrant for his opponent, Gonzalez, who then had to flee the country. He arrived in Spain earlier this week.