About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

1 1 (January 22, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govbevy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 





Ven


Venezuela: Overview of U.S. Sanctions


For more than a decade, the United States has imposed
sanctions in response to activities of the Venezuelan
government and Venezuelan individuals. In response to the
authoritarian leadership of Nicolfs Maduro, the Trump
Administration has significantly expanded sanctions. As of
January 22, 2020, the Treasury Department has imposed
sanctions on at least 144 Venezuelan or Venezuelan-
connected individuals, and the State Department has
revoked the visas of hundreds of individuals and their
families. The Trump Administration also has imposed
sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company (Petr6leos de
Venezuela, S.A., or PdVSA), government, and central bank.

Sanctions have increased economic pressure on the Maduro
government, accelerating a decline in oil production.
Nevertheless, Maduro remains in power a year since the
United States ceased to recognize him as president. The
Trump Administration has promised continued support to
National Assembly President Juan Guaid6, whom the
United States and 57 governments recognize as interim
president of Venezuela. Recent U.S. sanctions targeted
legislators who tried to block Guaid6's January 2020
reelection as National Assembly president.


Since 2006, the Secretary of State has made an annual
determination that Venezuela is not cooperating fully with
United States anti-terrorism efforts pursuant to Section
40A of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2781). The
most recent determination was made in May 2019. As a
result, the United States has prohibited all U.S. commercial
arms sales and retransfers to Venezuela since 2006.

In 2008, Treasury imposed financial sanctions on two
individuals and two travel agencies in Venezuela for
providing financial support to the radical Lebanon-based
Islamic Shiite group Hezbollah. Pursuant to Executive
Order (E.O.) 13224, the action aimed at impeding terrorist
funding.


Since 2005, pursuant to procedures in the Foreign Relations
Authorization Act, FY2003 (P.L. 107-228, §706; 22 U.S.C.
2291j), the President has made an annual determination that
Venezuela has failed demonstrably to adhere to its
obligations under international narcotics agreements.
President Trump made the most recent determination for
FY2020 in August 2019 but waived foreign aid restrictions
for programs that support the interim government.

Treasury has imposed economic sanctions on at least 22
individuals with connections to Venezuela and 27
companies by designating them as Specially Designated
Narcotics Traffickers pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics


  gognpo              go
  g
                , q
  'S
  a X
  11LULANJILiN,

Updated January 22, 2020


Kingpin Designation Act (P.L. 106-120, Title VIII; 21
U.S.C. 1901 et seq.).

Designated individuals include several current or former
Venezuelan officials. Some of the more recent sanctions
include then-Vice President Tareck el Aissami in 2017 and
Pedro Luis Martin (a former senior intelligence official) and
two associates in May 2018. Others designated include drug
trafficker Walid Makled, three dual Lebanese-Venezuelan
citizens allegedly involved in a drug money laundering
network, and several Colombian drug traffickers with
activity in Venezuela.



In response to increasing repression in Venezuela, Congress
enacted the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil
Society Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-278; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) in
2014. Among its provisions, the law requires the President
to impose sanctions (asset blocking and visa restrictions)
against those whom the President identifies as responsible
for significant acts of violence or serious human rights
abuses or anyone who has ordered the arrest or prosecution
of a person because of the person's legitimate exercise of
freedom of expression or assembly. In 2016, Congress
extended this act through 2019 in P.L. 114-194.

In March 2015, President Obama issued E.O. 13692 to
implement P.L. 113-278, and Treasury issued regulations in
July 2015 (31 C.F.R. Part 591). The E.O. targets (for asset
blocking and visa restrictions) those involved in actions or
policies undermining democratic processes or institutions;
those involved in acts of violence or conduct constituting a
serious human rights abuse; those taking actions that
prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of
expression or peaceful assembly; public corruption by
senior Venezuelan officials; and any person determined to
be a current or former leader of any entity engaged in any
activity described above or a current or former official of
the government of Venezuela.

As of January 22, 2020, Treasury has financial sanctions on
98 Venezuelans pursuant to E.O. 13692. Under the Obama
Administration, Treasury froze the assets of seven
Venezuelans six members of Venezuela's security forces
and a prosecutor who repressed protesters. Under the
Trump Administration, Treasury currently has sanctions on
an additional 91 Venezuelan officials, including President
Maduro; his wife, Cecilia Flores, and son, Nicolfs Maduro
Guerra; Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez;
Diosdado Cabello (Socialist party president); eight supreme
court judges; the leaders of Venezuela's army, national
guard, and national police; four state governors; the director
of the central bank; and the foreign minister. On May 7,
2019, Treasury lifted sanctions against the former head of


K~:>

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most