US Sanctions Five Venezuelan Citizens
The US applied sanctions against five senior officials of the government of Venezuela, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
“Today, the Office of Foreign Assets Control [OFAC] of the State Department identified five current officials of the government of Venezuela under Executive Order 13884, which blocks property and interests over property of the government of Venezuela and of those who acted or allegedly acted on their behalf,” the text said.
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Among those sanctioned is the commander of the Strategic Operations Command of the National Armed Forces, Remigio Ceballos, and the secretary general of the National Defense Council, José Ornelas.
Néstor Blanco, a senior official of the Bolivarian National Guard, also received sanctions; Pedro Carreño, interim member of the National Constituent Assembly, and Carlos Calderón, senior official of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN).
All these people had previously been sanctioned by the European Union and Canada, added the statement.
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The political situation in Venezuela deteriorated as of January, when the opposition deputy Juan Guaidó proclaimed himself the president in charge of the Caribbean country, after boycotting the May 2018 elections, in which President Nicolás Maduro won.
The Venezuelan head of state accuses the US of attempting a coup through Guaidó and destabilizing actions to keep the country’s oil and other resources.
Russia, China, Turkey, Bolivia and many other countries, including the United Nations, have said they consider Maduro the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
Featured image: © AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin
Translated by JRE/EF
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