The United States has imposed sanctions on 21 senior Venezuelan security and cabinet officials for allegedly leading a crackdown on the opposition after a presidential election in July, a senior official said on Wednesday.
The officials were accused of suppressing protests after President Nicolas Maduro falsely claimed victory in the election at the expense of the opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez.
According to the official, the US already recognises Gonzalez as President-elect and frowns at Maduro for what it called a subversion of democratic norms.
“(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,” he added.
Venezuelans took to the polls on July 28 to elect a president for a six-year tenure that will start January 10, 2025.
But Maduro declared victory in the election, while he and his government have refused to show vote tallies backing his claim.
González, a former diplomat, left Venezuela in September for exile in Spain after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with an investigation into the publishing of vote tallies which shows he might have won the presidential election by a wide margin.
The effect of the individual sanctions and visa restrictions announced Wednesday is unclear, but Maduro loyalists that were punished back in September still hold office in Venezuela’s government.