In response to the contested reelection of Nicolás Maduro in July, the U.S. is reportedly gearing up to impose new sanctions on Venezuelan government officials.
What Happened: The Treasury Department is on the brink of announcing 15 individual sanctions aimed at officials linked to Maduro. These officials are accused of undermining the conduct of free and fair presidential elections, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
The proposed sanctions target key figures who allegedly collaborated with Maduro to manipulate the July 28 vote. This includes members of the electoral authority, Venezuela’s top court, the National Assembly, and the intelligence and military intelligence police, known as SEBIN and DGCIM.
The list of sanctioned individuals is likely to include military officials involved in the repression, persecution, arrest, and torture of those dissenting against Maduro. The US is also preparing a separate group of sanctions for top regime financiers.
As per documents seen by Bloomberg, the U.S. perceives these officials as having supported Maduro in breaking an October agreement between his government and the opposition for guarantees of a freer and fairer vote.
Why It Matters: This move follows a series of events where the U.S. expressed “serious concern” over the Venezuelan presidential election results in July, with both Maduro and the opposition candidate claiming victory. In August, the U.S. government even offered amnesty to Maduro in exchange for his resignation.
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