US House of Representatives passes bill to sanction Venezuela

Accordingly, the bill will ban visas to the US as well as freeze assets and prohibit financial transactions for many Venezuelan officials..

Immediately after the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a new bill against Venezuela, the US House of Representatives yesterday (May 28) voted to pass a sanctions bill targeting Venezuelan officials whom the US accuses of violating human rights in Venezuela.

Accordingly, the bill passed by the US House of Representatives this time will impose a visa ban on entering the US, as well as freeze assets and prohibit financial transactions against Venezuelan officials on the US sanctions list.

Previously, on May 20, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee also gave the green light to new sanctions against Venezuelan officials involved in the wave of anti-government protests in this South American country.

Venezuelan police stop radical protesters (Photo: nbcbayarea)

The bill would allow the Obama administration to freeze the assets and ban entry into the United States of current or former Venezuelan government officials it believes are involved in the crackdown on anti-government protesters.

The bill also authorizes the White House to sanction individuals who ordered the arrest or prosecution of protesters and those who played a supporting role, and pledges $15 million to help nongovernmental organizations in Venezuela.

However, this document has met with opposition from South American governments. In a statement issued on May 24 at a conference in Ecuador, the foreign ministers of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) affirmed that the proposed bill would violate Venezuela's internal affairs and undermine efforts to promote dialogue between the government and the opposition in this country./.

According to VOV