US Sanctions More Maduro Allies Over Venezuelan Election, Government Repression

The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Nov. 27 imposed new sanctions on 21 security and cabinet-level officials aligned with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. The new sanctions, targetting senior administration officials within Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard, Bolivarian National Police, Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, and Venezuelan military intelligence components, come four months after Venezuela’s contentious presidential elections. The U.S. sanctions are meant to freeze any U.S. assets belonging to these sanctioned individuals and block transactions they may seek with U.S. individuals. The U.S. State Department will also impose new visa restrictions targeting officials affiliated with Maduro. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council called the July 28 election for the incumbent Maduro, but Maduro’s political opposition within Venezuela has challenged those claims....