The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Melanie Jolyannounced this Tuesday the imposition of new sanctions contra five senior officials of the Venezuelan regimeaccused of participating in activities that undermine democracy and fraudulently declare Nicolas Maduro as winner of the past presidential elections July 28.
The measures, adopted under the Regulation of Special Economic Measures (Venezuela)affect key figures of the country’s judicial and electoral poweramong whom is the president of the Venezuelan Supreme Court. These people are:
- Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez Rodríguezpresident of the Supreme Court of Justice.
- Juan Carlos Hidalgo Pandaresjudge of the Supreme Court of Justice.
- Rosalba Gil Pachecomember of the National Electoral Council.
- Eduardo Miguel Briceno Cisnerosjudge.
- Luis Ernesto Dueñez Reyesfiscal.
In the announcement, Joly stated that these sanctions They seek to pressure the Maduro regime to respect the will of the Venezuelan people and stop the repressive actions taken against the opposition and civil society.
“Today’s sanctions send a clear message: Canada will not sit idly by as long as the Maduro regime continues to ignore the democratic will of the Venezuelan people,” he declared.
The Canadian government statement stressed that independent international observers and citizens contributed credible evidence about what Maduro was not the legitimate winner of the July 28 elections.
However, the Venezuelan de facto authorities They continue to fail to present substantial evidence to support their claimed results.
In the days after the elections, the regime intensified the repression against massive demonstrations throughout the country. The authorities were responsible for 28 deaths, 43 forced disappearances and more than 2,000 arbitrary arrestsaccording to data cited by Canada.
The persecution also affected opposition figuresleaders of the civil societyjournalists and electoral volunteers. As a result of these actions, the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia was forced to flee to Spain on September 7.
These sanctions from Canada align with measures previously taken by USA and other allies in response to the Venezuelan political crisis. “We are prepared to work with partners in the region to support this dialogue. But we are also prepared to use the tools at our disposalincluding sanctionsto impose costs on those who seek to prevent the full expression of the democratic rights of Venezuelans,” said Joly.
The Canadian government reiterated its worry for the undemocratic activities of the Maduro regime, as well as the threat they represent to Venezuelans and regional stability. Canada reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to the human rightshe rule of law and the democracy in Venezuela and throughout the region.”
Since 2017, Canada has implemented four rounds of sanctions against officials linked to the Chavista regime:
- In September 2017sanctioned 40 personas involved in the destabilization of the country’s democratic institutions.
- In May 2018added to 14 personas after the presidential elections considered illegitimate on May 20 of that year.
- In April 2019imposed sanctions on 43 officialsmostly responsible for repressive acts.
- In parallel, under the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Actsanctioned 19 individuals guilty of human rights violations and significant corruption.
These new sanctions seek to increase the international pressure about the Venezuelan authorities and deter future repressive actions against the opposition, protesters and journalists.
Canada stressed its intention to continue supporting the Venezuelan people in their fight for restore democracy.
