US imposes sanctions on Maduro allies over ‘illegitimate’ election results
Al Jazeera
Washington says new penalties should prompt ‘deeper reflection’ by officials aligned with Venezuelan president.
Washington, DC – The United States has imposed new sanctions on Venezuelan judicial and election officials whom it accuses of helping President Nicolas Maduro certify his controversial election win earlier this year.
The penalties on Thursday targeted the leaders of the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), as well as other Maduro allies who backed his claim to victory in the July 28 vote.
The US and several countries in the West and Latin America have rejected the results, citing a lack of transparency and allegations of voter fraud. Instead, the US said there was “overwhelming evidence” that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won the presidential race.
Thursday’s sanctions name officials in Venezuela’s military, intelligence sector and government who allegedly were “responsible for intensifying repression through intimidation, indiscriminate detentions and censorship” after the vote.
While the US Treasury Department described the measures as “decisive”, many of the Venezuelan officials sanctioned on Thursday were already under US penalties.
