Top 5 Venezuelans US Congress Names for Sanctions in Wake of Absurd Sentence on Opposition Leader
Latin American Herald Tribune
September 12, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Reaction to the harsh sentence meted out on Venezuela Opposition Leader Leopoldo Lopez continues to reverberate around the world.

 Late Thursday night, a Venezuelan judge found opposition leader and former Mayor Leopoldo Lopez guilty of public incitement to violence and criminal association and sentenced him to 13 years and nine months in prison.

That judge is now on a list of 5 more Venezuelans that U.S. Congressional leaders are calling for sanctions on:

•Luisa Ortega Diaz - Attorney General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
•General Wilman Hernandez Aquino - Head of Investigations of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DIM)
•Susana Barreiros Rodriguez - Judge of the 28th Trial Circuit Court of Caracas
•Narda Sanabria Bernatte - Attorney of the Public Ministry of Venezuela
•Franklin Nieves Capace - Attorney of the Public Ministry of Venezuela

"We ask that, consistent with all applicable rules and regulations, your departments consider sanctioning the following authorities of the Venezuelan legal system directly involved in this decision, which is tantamount to human rights abuses against Leopoldo Lopez," the bipartisan group of Congressional leaders request in their letter to the Treasury and State Department heads.

"By rendering a politically motivated sentence of more than 13 years against Mr. Lopez, this miscarriage of justice demonstrates that the Venezuelan court system lacks independence from, and subjugates its authorities to, Maduro and his regime, "the Congressional leaders explain. "The court system is often employed to intimidate pro-democracy activists and to issue arbitrary detentions against peaceful demonstrators who have committed no crimes other than advocating for democratic principles, contrary to its obligations under the Inter-American Democratic Charter."

"We must help provide a voice to those whose rights continue to be neglected and we must take swift and decisive actions, such as imposing sanctions, to illustrate that we truly care about the well-being of the Venezuelan people and that we will stand side by side with them in their struggle for democracy," the Congressional leaders conclude.

In Washington, other leaders called for further sanctions on Venezuela.

“The arbitrary and unjust sentencing of Leopoldo Lopez once again shows the Venezuelan government’s willingness to go to the most extreme lengths to silence its political opponents and those who stand in defense of democracy and human rights. Since its start, Leopoldo Lopez’s trial has been a travesty of justice in which fabricated claims and phony evidence were used to destroy any semblance of due process left in Venezuela," said U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, one of the authors of the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act, which imposed sanctions on corrupt Chavista officials. "As President Maduro and his political cronies resort to increasingly desperate tactics to divert attention from their failed political and economic model, the world must be unequivocal in its condemnation of the Lopez case and the accelerating deterioration of democracy and the rule of law in the country.

“In the wake of Mr. Lopez’s conviction, I will continue to work with my fellow members of the U.S. Congress to push for further targeted sanctions – as mandated under U.S. law - against Venezuelan government officials that have used the country’s legal system to punish free expression,” said Menendez.

Republican Presidential candidate, Senator Marco Rubio also spoke out about the injustice, calling for not only further sanctions but an end to any attempt to repair torn relations with the oil-rich Latin American nation.

“Leopoldo Lopez’s arrest, incarceration, show trial and prison sentenceý have all been a sham. The Venezuelan regime is robbing Leopoldo of his freedom, his wife of a husband, his kids of a father and the Venezuelan people of a leader committed to their democratic aspirations. He deserves to be freed immediately and unconditionally," said Rubio. “The Obama Administration has been flirting with rapprochement with the Venezuelan regime, and this decision should make clear it’s a foolish notion. The Obama Administration has been moving too slowly on applying sanctions on human rights violators in Venezuela, and now is the time to fully implement the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014.”

Secretary of State John Kerry, who had reportedly called Venezuela Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez earlier in the week to discuss the case, says he is "deeply troubled" by the conviction and called on Venezuela to respect the human rights treaties it had signed.

"The United States is deeply troubled by the conviction and sentencing of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. The decision by the court raises great concern about the political nature of the judicial process and verdict, and the use of the Venezuelan judicial system to suppress and punish government critics.

"Since Mr. Lopez’s arrest and imprisonment in February of 2014, we have underscored our concern with the charges brought against Mr. Lopez — which we consider illegitimate — and we have repeatedly called for his release and for the release of all Venezuelans who are imprisoned for political reasons. We call on the Government of Venezuela to respect the rights of all political prisoners; and to guarantee fair and transparent public trial, consistent with the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Venezuela’s Constitution."

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen called on all nations to "condemn this miscarriage of justice and call for Leopoldo’s immediate, unconditional release.”

“It is well known that the kangaroo court in Venezuela is biased and influenced by the Maduro regime so it’s not a surprise that this shameful verdict against Leopoldo occurred. Leopoldo should be free and the people of Venezuela deserve to live under a free society; not under this regime that continues to violate human rights at every turn," said Ros-Lehtinen. The malicious use of the judicial system as an instrument to punish and persecute dissent is only part of the problem with Maduro’s brutal regime that persists on ruling Venezuela with an iron fist. I call on all responsible nations to condemn this miscarriage of justice and call for Leopoldo’s immediate, unconditional release. In addition, the United States should apply sanctions immediately against the judges, prosecutors, and prison officials who were involved in this politically motivated sentencing.”

"It is worth noting that the United States is not alone in its condemnation of Maduro's defenseless actions," congressional leaders wrote in their letter calling for additional sanctions. "The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Lopez's detention arbitrary in October 2014 and demanded his immediate release. Similar statements have been echoed by the UN High Commisioner for Human Rights, UN Committee Against Torture, the former Secretary-General of the Organization of American States Jose Miguel Insulza, and leaders from throughout the Americas, the European Union, Human Rights Watch, and the New York Times and Washington Post Editorial Boards."

Lopez had already been held without bail for 18 months since publicly turning himself in to fight the charges.

The public prosecutor says it based its charges on Lopez’s Twitter messages during protests that rocked the country last year.

In a country where judges are appointed by the government and serve at its pleasure, government prosecutors had requested a 14-year jail sentence.

Lopez, who had been mayor Caracas suburb Chacao, ranks as one of the most popular politicians in the country.

Educated in the USA with a graduate degree from Harvard, Lopez represents the new generation of leaders trying to modernize Venezuela.

“My thoughts are with Leopoldo and the three students sentenced alongside him, as well as their families and the families of all of the political prisoners that languish in Venezuelan jails," concluded Menendez.

Not CDV.org: For Letters and Documents  - go to original article here.


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