Congress moves toward sanctions for Venezuela
Congress is moving closer to imposing economic penalties against Venezuela’s government for human rights violations. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding a hearing Thursday…
An anti-government protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask throws a molotov cocktail at the Bolivarian National Police during clashes in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, April 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Congress is moving closer to imposing economic penalties against Venezuela’s government for human rights violations.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding a hearing Thursday to asses the political crisis in Venezuela, the role of Cuba and the implications in Latin America.
SEE ALSO: Venezuela’s Protests is far from over
The hearing occurs after the release of a new report by Human Rights Watch that was released this week documenting human rights abuses far worse that anticipated.
The report highlighted how Venezuela’s security forces have systematically violated the rights of students, women, men, members of the political opposition and journalists.
State Department officials will brief a Senate committee on violent street protests that have rocked the country for weeks, and a House panel will finalize its version of a sanctions bill Friday.
The legislation in both chambers is relatively modest. It centers on $15 million in new funds to promote democracy and rule of law in the South American country. It bans visas for Venezuelan officials who crushed anti-government protests by students, opposition leaders and others and freezes their assets, reports AP.
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated at the opening of the hearing that “we should not overlook the fact that there has been violence on both sides, but we should be perfectly clear that the primary responsibility for the excessive, unjustified use of force rests with the Maduro Administration.”
About the role of Cuba, Sen. Menendez said that ” we must also be perfectly clear that a foreign power is acting openly in Venezuela, fueling the countrys instability and economic and political crisis. The Cuban government, its advisors, and its intelligence officers have penetrated and are influencing senior levels of the Venezuelan Government. This cannot be overlooked.”
We must also look at the future implications of the deteriorating political and economic conditions in Venezuela and its potential impact on Caribbean and Central American nations that have benefited from subsidized oil shipments from Venezuela.”, he added.
According to AP, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a sponsor of the Senate legislation, said the message that the penalties would carry is most important, coming at a time when human rights groups accuse Venezuelan security officials of arresting, torturing and even killing unarmed demonstrators.
A demonstrator throws tear gas back to members of the National Guard during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas. (Juan Barreto/Globalpost)
“This is happening in our very own hemisphere,” Rubio said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. He said sanctions should target anyone responsible for human rights violations, refusing to rule out Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a potential target.
Action now would show the U.S. is “firmly on the side of the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people,” Rubio said.
Human Rights Watch
Sanctions are gaining support following the release of a scathing report this week by Human Rights Watch.
The group said judges and prosecutors have repeatedly ignored evidence of systematic rights abuses by government forces, citing dozens of protesters who have suffered serious physical and psychological abuse. At least 41 people have died since February, while others have suffered broken bones, denial of medical treatment and threats of rape or death.
At least 10 cases were serious enough to be considered torture, the New York-based organization said. Nearly all the cases it examined involved people who were denied due process, with many held incommunicado and refused access to legal counsel until minutes before they went to court, often in the middle of the night.
Demonstrators stand behind a barricade during an anti-government protests in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Maduro and other officials blame protesters for most of the violence and abuses and say the demonstrations are a coordinated attempt to overthrow the government.
Legislative efforts in the House are further advanced than in the Senate. The House Foreign Affairs Committee will consider a bill from another Floridian, Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, on Friday.
SEE ALSO: US senators propose legislation to get tough on Venezuela
