The United States imposed sanctions on 21 senior Venezuelan officials for their role in suppressing protests after a presidential election in July, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.
Washington says President Nicolas Maduro falsely claimed victory in the vote in what U.S. officials have described as a subversion of democratic norms. The United States says opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez won and refers to him as the president-elect.
“[This] is not merely about holding Nicolas Maduro accountable,” an administration official told reporters. “Officials who are acting unlawfully to uphold his regime based on repressive tactics will also find themselves in the cross hairs of these sanctions.”
In September, Venezuela’s government rejected a United Nations human rights report criticizing repression of political opponents and children in the wake of the elections, saying it was a sign of coercion against the state.
The United States would also be imposing visa restrictions on several officials associated with Maduro, the administration official said.
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