UK welcomes new sanctions against Maduro regime

The UK has welcomed new EU sanctions on seven more Venezuelan officials involved in torture and human rights violations.

The individuals, who are members of the security and intelligence forces, have been added to the EU’s Venezuela Sanctions Regime, taking the total number of those targeted to 25.

There remains deep concern among the international community at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Venezuela and the increasing repression of the opposition by the Maduro regime.

The death of Captain Rafael Acosta Arevalo in June whilst detained by Venezuela’s Military Counter Intelligence organisation demonstrated this deeply disturbing trend.

A UN report on Human Rights in Venezuela, published in July, described the appalling scale of violations, from extrajudicial killings to grave disregard of fundamental rights under Maduro’s rule.

For these reasons, the UK is also in support the September 2018 referral of the situation in Venezuela to the International Criminal Court.

When the UK leaves the EU, not only will existing EU sanctions on Venezuela be carried over, but the UK will deliver its own Magnitsky human rights sanctions to go further in standing up against human rights abuses anywhere in the world.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

These sanctions are part of our response to the humanitarian crisis that is having a terrible impact on the Venezuelan people, and detrimental effect on the whole region.

Alongside our international partners, we must maintain the political and moral pressure on the brutal and illegitimate Maduro regime.

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