Blinken Calls for 'Accountability' for Maduro

The Biden administration on Thursday announced that more than a dozen allies to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will face sanctions following the election in the country that was marred by voter fraud.

The U.S. and other countries officially recognized Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of the election, which took place on July 28, but Gonzalez was forced to flee the country to Spain after the government of Venezuela issued a warrant for his arrest.

"The United States is taking action today to promote accountability for Nicolás Maduro and his representatives for obstructing a competitive and inclusive presidential election in Venezuela and abusing the human rights of the Venezuelan people," Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Thursday in a press statement. "Rather than respecting the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the ballot box, Maduro and his representatives have falsely claimed victory while repressing and intimidating the democratic opposition in an illegitimate attempt to cling to power by force."

The Department of the Treasury will sanction 16 individuals connected to Maduro, including Supreme Court President Caryslia Rodriguez, electoral council director Rosalba Gil, and National Assembly Vice President Pedro Infante, with Blinken's statement accusing those individuals of having "impeded a transparent electoral process and the release of accurate election results."

The State Department will also take action, imposing new visa restrictions on officials aligned with the Maduro government "who have undermined the electoral process in Venezuela and are responsible for acts of repression."

Blinken notes that the Treasury has sanctioned more than 140 current of former Venezuelan officials for their actions to contribute to the current situation in the country, and has identified nearly 2,000 individuals who are potentially subject to visa restrictions.

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