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Rubio Pushes Bill To Impose Sanctions On Human Rights Violators In Venezuela

Press Release

Date: May 8, 2014
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Foreign Affairs

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today argued for the need to impose sanctions on individuals responsible for the grotesque human rights violations occurring in the midst of Venezuela's ongoing political crisis. During the Committee hearing, Rubio listed the names of 23 people he believes are candidates for these sanctions.

Rubio is an original sponsor of the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014, which authorizes sanctions on people involved in serious human rights violations against peaceful demonstrators in Venezuela.

"We are calling on identifying human rights violators in Venezuela, naming them by name, and sanctioning them for what they've done. And I just don't understand how we can sit here and say that the time isn't right to do that. I don't understand how we can say we should wait for some point in the future, when the timing might be right to do that," Rubio said. "Because by admission, what you're saying is that, "If the Venezuela government does certain things over the next few months.' That day may never come. And I just don't understand how that can be our foreign policy."

"The future of Venezuela belongs to the people of Venezuela. They must determine the direction of that country, and what sort of system of government and economics they want. But what we also want them to understand is that the United States will not stand by and idly watch as the rights of people, with whom we share this hemisphere, are systematically violated by an anti-American government -- to top it all off -- and ignore their plight," Rubio added. "And we will endeavor to use, and I think in a bipartisan way I hope -- and I know in this Committee that will be the case -- in a bipartisan way, to use the influence and the power of the United States of America to firmly line up on the side of those who aspire to liberty, to freedom, and to respect of human rights."


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