WASHINGTON/CARACAS (Reuters) -The United States is imposing sanctions on 21 senior Venezuelan officials for their role in suppressing protests after a presidential election in July, including members of President Nicolas Maduro’s cabinet, a senior Washington official said on Wednesday.
Washington says Maduro falsely claimed victory in the vote and that opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez is the president-elect.
“(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 crosshairs of these sanctions.”
The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The United States would also be imposing visa restrictions on a number of officials associated with Maduro, the administration official said.
Those sanctioned on Wednesday’s list include planning minister Ricardo Jose Menendez and communications minister Freddy Alfred Nazaret, as well as top intelligence officials Alexis Jose Rodriguez and Javier Jose Marcano.
Also included is Daniella Cabello, an erstwhile pop singer and daughter of Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who now runs an economic promotion initiative.
Venezuela’s opposition, a number of Western countries and some international organizations have decried the election as non-transparent and have called for the full publication of ballots, with some parties openly labeling the process fraudulent.
The opposition published ballot box tallies on a public website which it says show Gonzalez handily won the contest. Gonzalez has since fled to Spain.
Venezuela’s government has rejected a United Nations human rights report criticizing repression of political opponents and children in the wake of the elections.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington and Mayela Armas in Caracas; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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