Venezuela’s Maduro broke a promise on elections. The U.S. must respond.

Venezuela’s autocratic leader Nicolás Maduro, who last year signed on to a road map for free and fair elections this year, has decisively broken with the agreement, using coercion and duplicity to silence critics and the opposition. The Biden administration vowed to reimpose sanctions if this happened. It has no choice but to make good on this threat.

The United States lifted some sanctions in October after the Maduro government and the Venezuelan opposition, known as the Unitary Platform, agreed in Barbados on the election plan. It stipulated that Mr. Maduro would provide all candidates freedom of movement and assembly as well as equal access to the media.

But Mr. Maduro acts as though the agreement never existed. In June, his government barred María Corina Machado, a conservative former legislator who won an informal primary to lead the opposition, from running. On Jan. 26, the regime-controlled Supreme Court turned down her bid for reinstatement.

Further, on Friday, authorities arrested Rocío San Miguel, 57, a rights activist and outspoken critic of the regime, who is an expert on Venezuela’s armed forces. She leads a nongovernmental organization, Control Ciudadano, which advocates civilian control of the military. Ms. San Miguel was seized at a Caracas airport, along with her daughter, and her whereabouts are unknown.

Venezuela’s attorney general, Tarek Saab, issued a statement saying Ms. San Miguel was arrested on charges of conspiracy and treason for involvement in a plot against Mr. Maduro and other officials, but no evidence or details were provided. Her former partner, Alejandro Gonzales, was charged with revealing military secrets. Four others, including her daughter, were detained then reportedly released.

The regime has leveled similar specious charges of plotting against Mr. Maduro in recent weeks against at least 33 other people, including members of the democratic opposition, civil society, former members of the military and journalists.

After his government first aired the conspiracy charges, Mr. Maduro went on national television, saying, “I hope we can save the Barbados accords and advance the dialogue to achieve major national consensus agreements … without plans to assassinate me, assassinate us or spread violence in the country.”

But Mr. Maduro has shown he does not intend to allow real competition in the elections this year.

In October, Mr. Blinken was unequivocal. “Failure to abide by the terms of this arrangement will lead the United States to reverse steps we have taken,” he said. The United States issued a six-month license allowing Venezuela to export oil and gas, a significant lifting of the sanctions. The license expires April 18, and the Biden administration has said it will decide then how to proceed.

Biden can snap back the previous sanctions or impose new ones. The only thing the United States cannot do is look the other way as Mr. Maduro crushes democracy.