As part of its renewed assault on Venezuela, the United States Department of the Treasury, through the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), announced new unilateral coercive measures—euphemistically referred to as sanctions—against 21 Venezuelan state officials.
Through a statement, the US Treasury Department extended the measures established in Executive Order 13692, designed to sanction officials who, in its opinion, “undermine democracy.”
The measures against state officials block the ownership of any property or any interest in property in the United States and prohibit them from carrying out transactions with US institutions, businesses, or entities.
In an interventionist manner, the US stated that “it will not tolerate the continued subversion of democratic norms by Maduro and his allies.”
To date, OFAC has imposed sanctions on more than 180 individuals and 100 Venezuelan institutions, including military personnel, cabinet members, and representatives of security forces.
It is worth remembering that last September, OFAC sanctioned 16 officials from various public powers and from the military forces for supporting the will of the Venezuelan people in the latest presidential election of July 28th.
Now, the US alleges that the new sanctions seek to “hold accountable the individuals who have allowed and executed anti-democratic acts and systematic violations of human rights.”
Hinterlaces Survey: 63% of Venezuelans Want Legal Action Against Those Who Call for Sanctions
The sanctioned Venezuelan officials are:
- From the Bolivarian National Guard of Venezuela (GNB), commanders Carlos Aigster; Ángel Balestrini; Pablo Lizano; Luis Gerardo Reyes; José Alfredo Rivera; and the commander of Coastal Surveillance, Jesús Ramón Fernández. From the command of Zone No. 51 of the GNB, José Yunior Herrera, and the director of the GNB Logistics Division, Alberto Alexander Matheus.
- From the National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), the director of SEBIN, Alexis José Rodríguez Cabello; brigadier general of the BNP, Rubén Darío Santiago; head of the DGCIM and the Presidential Honor Guard, Javier José Marcana; and the commander of the Bolivarian militia, Orlando Ramón Romero.
- State officials and ministers, including the minister of the Office of the President, Anibal Coronado; the minister of Planning, Ricardo Menéndez; the minister of the Penitentiary Service, Julio García Zerpa; the minister for Communication and Information, Freddy Ñáñez; the deputy to the National Assembly, América Pérez; the president of the Export Promotion Agency, Daniella Cabello; and the vice minister of Anti-Blockade Policies, William Castillo.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/BR/SL
