BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — THE United States Treasury Department has intensified its measures against individuals closely associated with Nicolás Maduro's administration in Venezuela, announcing additional sanctions and visa restrictions.
Since the controversial July 2024 general elections, the U.S. and its allies have increased pressure on the Maduro regime to release the full election results, which remain undisclosed. Opposition figures and their supporters continue to face imprisonment or exile.
One prominent figure, Edmundo González Urrutia, widely believed by the U.S. government to have won the elections, is currently in Spain seeking asylum. An arrest warrant has been issued for González Urrutia, with high-ranking U.S. officials referring to him as the "president-elect."
"The United States is acting again today to hold Nicolás Maduro and his representatives accountable for undermining the electoral process in Venezuela and repressing the Venezuelan people. Four months after the Venezuelan people elected Edmundo González Urrutia as president on July 28, Maduro and his representatives continue to falsely claim victory and violate democratic principles,” the U.S. State Department stated in a press statement today (Nov. 27).
The statement also accused Maduro’s security forces of engaging in “widespread abuses, including killings, repression, and mass detention of protesters.”
The latest sanctions target 21 individuals, raising the total number of sanctioned persons to 200. The list includes members of Venezuela’s security forces and cabinet-level officials.
“Concurrently, the Department of State continues to take steps to impose new visa restrictions under Presidential Proclamation 9931 on Maduro-aligned individuals who undermined a competitive and inclusive electoral process in Venezuela or are responsible for acts of repression,,” the State Department explained.
“Including today’s actions, Treasury has sanctioned 180 current or former Venezuelan officials for repressing and intimidating the democratic opposition in a desperate and illegitimate attempt to cling to power by force and the State Department has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on nearly 2,000 individuals for their role in undermining the electoral process or in acts of repression in Venezuela. We will continue to work with our international partners to defend democratic freedoms in Venezuela and ensure Maduro and his representatives are held accountable for their actions,” the statement added
These actions underscore the ongoing international efforts to promote democratic governance and human rights in Venezuela by the US Government.
