Maduro demands end to sanctions
Venezuela takes case to international court
CARACAS, Venezuela — The government of President Nicolás Maduro demanded that Washington stoppilingonpunishingfinancial sanctions aimed at forcing a regime changeinvenezuelaasittookits case to the International Criminal Court on Thursday.
Maduro’s top diplomat accused the Trump administration of causing suffering and death among millions of Venezuelans in the last several years.
“We believe that these unilateral, coercive measures are crimes against humanity,” Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said at a news conference after filing the complaint. “They also violate international law and human rights.”
The White House is trying to drive Maduro from power and was the first of nearly 60 nations to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country’s legitimate president. The countries argue that Maduro’s re-election in 2018 was invalid in part because the most popular opposition politicians were barred from participating.
Trump recently ushered Guaidó into a Oval Office meeting and called Maduro a “tyrant.”
Maduro critics say the socialist leader is responsible for the oil-rich nation’s collapse, with shortages of basic services like water, lights, gas and medical care that have driven at least 4.5 million to emigrate in recent years.
The Trump administration first hit Venezuela’s state-run oil company with sanctions aimed at cutting off Maduro’s government from a vast wealth source: the world’s largest oil reserves.
It followed by putting Maduro himself and dozens of Venezuelans in his inner circle on its sanctions list. Their U.S. assets were frozen, and U.S. citizens are banned from doing business with them.
Most recently, the administration targeted a fleet of 40 commercial planes of the Venezuelan state-run airline CONVIASA.
U.S. Treasury officials say “corrupt regime officials” in Maduro’s government use the planes to advance anti-democratic efforts, flying to countries like North Korea, Cuba and Iran.
“What justifies sanctions on a transport company, a public service?” Maduro said, blasting the announcement. “What harm do they do to me? The damage is done to the people of Venezuela.”