President Maduro Inducts Those Sanctioned by Washington Into New Order (+Commemoration)

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, has condemned the imperialist sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department against 21 leaders and officers of the Bolivarian Revolution, and has announced the creation of the Order Ayacucho Battle to honor those illegally sanctioned by the US. This title was given in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the battle that sealed the independence of Perú and expelled the last groups of Spanish Royalists from South.

The Venezuelan president made the announcement this Wednesday, November 27, during the commemorative ceremony of the 104th anniversary of the Bolivarian Air Force and the 32nd anniversary of the anti-imperialist rebellion of November 27, 1992.

“Today, the decadent government of the United States issued what they call ‘sanctions’ against a group of eminent men and women of our country,” the president stated, “popular leaders, writers, literary figures, political leaders, and a group of military leaders, excellent professionals. They have done so with the aim of striking at our popular civic-military unity.”

The head of state added that the sanctions imposed on the officers and military commanders are just a strategy to sabotage Venezuela’s political management. “They believe that they are going to stop Venezuela’s exports to the world. Now is when our country will grow in exports,” he explained.

The president noted that it is no coincidence that the US empire’s government has sanctioned Minister of the Popular Power for Planning Ricardo Menéndez, “who has successfully led, in an exemplary and unique way, the Plan of the Seven Transformations and the formation of the [Bolivarian] Historic Block of the Homeland.”

To counter these actions, President Maduro explained that he had “given the order to create in the next few days the decoration of the republic that will bear the name of the Great Victory of Ayacucho. I am creating this awards in honor of Ayacucho, today under attack once again. In honor of the 200 years passed, we exchange the sanctions for the celebration of our victory 200 years ago. We shout before the empire: Chávez lives, the homeland lives on!”

21 sanctioned
The US entity reported on Wednesday their so-called “sanctions” that, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department, were imposed against 21 people associated with the government of Venezuela. These are enforced through Executive Order 13692, and “ block any property or interest in property of those sanctioned in the United States, in addition to prohibiting transactions with US entities.” According to the official US imperialist statement, “these actions seek to hold accountable those who have allowed and executed anti-democratic acts and systematic violations of human rights.”

Below is a list of Venezuelan officials singled out by the US empire for, in their colonial view, “contributing to the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela”:

Officials of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces