U.S. Congress passes bill to impose sanctions on Venezuelan officials

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States Congress has passed a bill which would impose sanctions on Venezuelan officials found to have violated protesters' rights.

The vote, according to BBC News, was passed by the House of Representatives and received similar approval by the Senate earlier this week.

The bill is now likely to be signed into law by President Barack Obama.

Venezuela's President Nicholas Maduro described the move as imposing "insolent imperialist sanctions". He said the U.S. wanted to "challenge Venezuela with sanctions and threats".

Maduro warned the U.S. leader: "If the crazy path of sanctions is imposed, President Obama, I think you're going to come out looking very bad. Who is the U.S. Senate to sanction the homeland of Bolivar?" he asked, referring to the 19th Century Venezuelan independence leader.

The bill targets current and former Venezuelan officials who directed "significant acts of violence or serious human rights abuses against persons associated with the anti-government protests in Venezuela that began on February 4".

More than 40 people from both sides of the political divide were killed in the protests which took place in Venezuela between February and May.

The United Nations condemned "all violence by all sides in Venezuela" and called on the government "to ensure that people are not penalized for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression".

The government said opposition leaders had incited protesters to violence and had been planning a coup against President Maduro.

The opposition said its activists had been unfairly targeted for their political convictions.

At the height of the protests in February, opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was arrested. He has been charged with inciting violence.

And last week Venezuela's chief prosecutor launched an investigation into leading opposition politician Maria Corina Machado over an alleged plot to assassinate the president.