<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<h1 class="title" align="left">US Slaps Venezuelans with New
Sanctions</h1>
<div class="submitted" align="left">
<div class="symbols"> <a
href="http://venezuelanalysis.com/printmail/11181" title="Send
this page by e-mail." class="print-mail" rel="nofollow">
http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/11181</a><br>
Published on Feb 3rd 2015 at 10.15am <br>
<a href="http://venezuelanalysis.com/printmail/11181"
title="Send this page by e-mail." class="print-mail"
rel="nofollow"></a><a
href="http://venezuelanalysis.com/print/11181" title="Display
a printer-friendly version of this page." class="print-mail"
rel="nofollow"> </a> </div>
<p class="byline"> By <span class="author">TeleSUR English</span>
</p>
</div>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left">The United States
officially imposed new sanctions on Venezuela Monday, amid
accusations from President Nicolas Maduro that Washington is
trying to destabilize his country.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left">The new sanctions
expand the number of Venezuelan government officials barred from
entering the United States.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left">“These restrictions
will also affect the immediate family members of a number of those
individuals subject to visa restrictions for believed involvement
in human rights abuses or for acts of public corruption,” said
State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left">Psaki continued by
stating, “We will not publicly identify these individuals because
of U.S. visa confidentiality laws, but we are sending a clear
message that human rights abusers, those who profit from public
corruption, and their families are not welcome in the United
States.”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left"> Maduro hit back at the
announcement by accusing the U.S. government of hypocrisy.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left"> “They kill black youth
in the street with impunity, they persecute and have concentration
camps of Central American kids. (In Guantanamo), they have
abducted dozens of citizens of the world under no known legal
system, submitting them to torture, isolation," he said during a
speech.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left"> Maduro has
previously accused U.S. officials of plotting to <a
href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Maduro-Says-Obama-Knows-about-Plans-against-Venezuela-20150130-0031.html">topple
his </a><a
href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Maduro-Says-Obama-Knows-about-Plans-against-Venezuela-20150130-0031.html">government</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left"> He asked, “What human
rights are they talking about?”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left">The new U.S. sanctions
are in response to a wave of unrest that hit Venezuela in early
2014. Around 43 people died as anti-government groups took to the
streets with weapons ranging from firearms to molotov cocktails
and home-made bazookas to demand Maduro step down. According to an
analysis of the death toll by independent media collective
Venezuelanalysis, around half the casualties were government
supporters, state security personnel or ordinary members of the
public likely killed by anti-government groups. Venezuelan
authorities have arrested opposition figures it claims
masterminded the violence including Leopoldo Lopez, while also
pressing charges against security personnel accused of misconduct.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left">However, Psaki
described the opposition violence as “peaceful protests.”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left"> “We emphasize the
action we are announcing today is specific to individuals and not
directed at the Venezuelan nation or its people,” she said.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left"> However, Venezuelan <a
href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Venezuela-Stands-Tall-in-the-Face-of-Imperialist-Threats-20150202-0021.html">foreign
minister Delcy Rodriguez</a> told private broadcaster
Venevision that the U.S. and corporate media are trying to mislead
the international community about Venezuela.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" align="left"> “All imperialist wars
have been precipitated by media campaigns such as this one, giving
false information that aims to provide the world with the
justification for an intervention,” said Rodriguez.</p>
<div class="moz-signature" align="left">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>