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            Congressional Research Service

            Inforring the legislative debate since 1914



Venezuela: Overview of U.S. Sanctions


For more than a decade, the United States has employed
sanctions as a policy tool in response to activities of the
Venezuelan government  and Venezuelan individuals. These
have included sanctions related to terrorism, drug
trafficking, trafficking in persons, antidemocratic actions,
human  rights violations, and corruption; the Treasury
Department has imposed financial sanctions on more than
100 individuals. On January 28, 2019, the Trump
Administration announced sanctions on Venezuela's state-
oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., or PdVSA.
Several days before the imposition of the PdVSA sanctions,
the United States recognized Juan Guaid6, the head of
Venezuela's National Assembly, as the country's interim
president and ceased to recognize Nicolas Maduro as the
president of Venezuela.

Terrorism-Related Sanctions
Since 2006, U.S. officials have expressed concerns about
Venezuela's lack of cooperation on anti-terrorism efforts.
Since then, 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 2018. As a
result, the United States has prohibited all U.S. commercial
arms sales and retransfers to Venezuela since 2006.

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

Drug  Trafficking-Related  Sanctions
U.S. concerns about the lack of Venezuelan cooperation on
counternarcotics efforts date back to 2005. Since then, the
President has made an annual determination, pursuant to
procedures set forth in the Foreign Relations Authorization
Act, FY2003 (P.L. 107-228, §706; 22 U.S.C. 2291j), that
Venezuela has failed demonstrably to adhere to its
obligations under international narcotics agreements.
President Trump made the most recent determination for
FY2019  in September 2018, but also waived foreign aid
restrictions for programs to support democracy promotion.

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

Designated individuals include several current or former
Venezuelan officials: in 2008, General Hugo Carvajal


Updated February 25, 2019


(former military intelligence head), General Henry Rangel
Silva (former defense minister and governor of Trujillo
State), and Ram6n Rodrfguez Chacfn (former interior
minister and former governor of Guirico); in 2011, Freddy
Alirio Bernal Rosales and Amilicar Jesus Figueroa Salazar
(United Socialist Party of Venezuela, or PSUV, politicians),
Major General Cliver Antonio Alcald Cordones, and
Ramon  Isidro Madriz Moreno (a Venezuelan intelligence
officer); in 2017, then-Vice President Tareck el Aissami;
and in May 2018, Pedro Luis Martin (a former senior
intelligence official) and two of his associates. 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.

Trafficking in Persons  Sanctions
Since 2014, Venezuela has been on the State Department's
Tier 3 list in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report. Tier 3
countries are those whose governments do not fully comply
with the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act (P.L. 106-386, Division A, 22 U.S.C. 7101
et seq.) and are not making significant efforts to do so; they
are subject to a variety of U.S. aid restrictions, which may
be waived by the President for national interest reasons.

Targeted   Sanctions Related  to Antidemocratic
Actions, Human Rights Violations, and Corruption
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
December  2014. Among  its provisions, the law requires the
President to impose sanctions (asset blocking and visa
restrictions) against those whom the President determines
are responsible for significant acts of violence or serious
human  rights abuses associated with February 2014 protests
or, more broadly, against anyone who has directed or
ordered the arrest or prosecution of a person primarily
because of the person's legitimate exercise of freedom of
expression or assembly. In 2016, Congress extended the
2014 act through 2019 in P.L. 114-194.

In March 2015, President Obama issued E.O. 13692 to
implement P.L. 113-278, and the Treasury Department
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.


https://crsreports.congress.gov

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