Caracas asked the ICC to open an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed by the US through unilateral coercive measures.
By José Luis Granados Ceja
Aug 25th 2021
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez shares content from a report submitted to the ICC during a press conference at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas. (Alba Ciudad)
Mexico City, Mexico, August 25, 2021 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government submitted a second report to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday detailing the negative impacts of the United States’ unilateral coercive measures.
The report is part of Caracas' efforts to hold the US accountable at The Hague.
"With this report we are showing the damage caused to the population as a result of the crimes that have been committed by the US Government and those who have joined this criminal blockade against Venezuela," said Vice President Delcy Rodríguez in a press conference on Tuesday.
The government of Nicolás Maduro asked the ICC to open an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed by the government of the United States of America against Venezuela through the use of unilateral coercive measures, commonly referred to as sanctions, on February 13, 2020. The investigation is presently in “phase 2” where the ICC prosecutor will determine if there is a legal basis for a full enquiry.
As part of her presentation, Rodríguez demonstrated statements by US institutions and officials that she deemed “confessions” that served as proof that officials knew that the measures would have a negative impact on the civilian population.
“They do not care about the suffering they have caused the Venezuelan people,” said Rodríguez. “They have a political objective: to oust a government that is not aligned with their interests, that is not subservient to its mandates, its orders.”
Washington’s sanctions against Venezuela formally began under President Barack Obama in 2015, and were greatly intensified by his successor, Donald Trump, who first imposed economic sanctions in 2017 and strengthened them over time.
President Joe Biden has maintained Trump’s hardline policies toward Caracas, including the ban on oil-for-diesel swap deals, in which Venezuela exchanged imported diesel for crude. The closing of this lifeline has exacerbated severe fuel shortages in the Caribbean country.
Nineteen US House Democrats recently demanded the Biden administration lift sanctions against Venezuela and support ongoing dialogue efforts between the government and the opposition being held in Mexico.
The report submitted to the ICC also detailed how US Treasury sanctions were responsible for the grave economic situation that Venezuela is facing, particularly through the measures against the oil industry since 2017. The vice president likewise shared a number of instances where public companies in Venezuela were unable to import critical equipment and supplies as a result of the US blockade. She stressed that the obstacles have affected utilities such as electricity and water supply.
Rodríguez placed special emphasis on the impact of US sanctions on the country’s ability to address the Covid-19 emergency.
At its outset in early 2020, experts called on Washington to lift its unilateral measures on various countries, including Venezuela, so they could count on the resources necessary to confront the pandemic.
Rodríguez shared an anecdote where she detailed how the president of the country’s central bank—seeking funds to buy medical supplies—was rebuffed by Citibank, where Venezuela had a 342 million dollar deposit frozen, attributing the decision to consequences of Treasury sanctions. These funds were subsequently transferred to the US government’s Federal Reserve and used to finance the activities of self-proclaimed “Interim President” Juan Guaidó.
US sanctions notoriously interfered with Venezuela’s ability to pay for vaccines through the United Nations' COVAX program after funds were frozen or blocked. As a result, Venezuela has lagged in its vaccination campaign compared to its neighbors, with an article in The Lancet calling on the international community to act.
This case at the ICC is unrelated to a separate preliminary investigation by the court that was initiated by the Venezuelan opposition and a handful of US-aligned governments who filed a suit accusing the Maduro government of carrying out crimes against humanity in its response to violent “guarimba” protests. A decision by ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan on that case is expected soon.
Edited by Ricardo Vaz from Mérida.
US Democrats Call for Venezuela Sanctions Relief and ‘Direct Dialogue’ with Maduro
The representatives urged the White House to allow crude-for-diesel swaps and “constructively engage” with actors on the ground.
chuy_garcia.jpg
Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) and other representatives asked for a new US policy towards Venezuela stepping away from the “maximum pressure” campaign and violent destabilization efforts. (Jim Young/Reuters)
By Andreína Chávez Alava and Ricardo Vaz
Aug 14th 2021
Mérida, August 14, 2021 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Nineteen US House Democrats demanded the Joe Biden administration lift “broad and indiscriminate sanctions” against Venezuela and support ongoing dialogue efforts.
“Our government should act urgently to alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people by taking immediate steps to lift the broad and indiscriminate sanctions while supporting internationally mediated dialogue efforts,” read the letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.
The signatories include Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar of Minnesota (D-MN), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and the chair of the House Rules Committee, Jim McGovern (D-MA).
Arguing that the former Trump administration’s "maximum pressure" campaign against Venezuela “has been a total failure,” the lawmakers recalled that the economic sanctions imposed since 2017 “have inflicted greater hardship and suffering in ordinary Venezuelans.”
The letter went on to recommend a new path in US policy towards the South American country, which includes removing “all US financial and sectoral sanctions." The first measure proposed would reverse “the (October 2020) Trump ban that prohibits Venezuela from exchanging crude oil for diesel, thereby hindering food production and distribution."
The members of Congress also asked the White House to "engage in direct dialogue" with the Nicolás Maduro government and “with a broader array of political actors.” They suggested approaching “moderate opposition sectors that are not aligned with (self-proclaimed ‘Interim President’) Juan Guaidó and moderate Chavista sectors that are critical of the Maduro government."
The signatories cited a number of studies that document the consequences of US policies against Venezuela, including a recent US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which noted that “US sanctions have likely contributed to the country’s steep economic decline." They additionally quoted a preliminary report issued by UN independent expert Alena Douhan after a 12-day visit to the Caribbean country in February. The document detailed the “devastating” effects of US sanctions.
Likewise, the representatives pointed out the impact of Washington’s coercive measures in blocking Covid-19 relief. “Sanctions continue to deprive the country of the necessary resources with which to effectively combat the pandemic,” they wrote, adding that exemptions for medical goods “do not resolve issues with banking and supply chains.”
The lawmakers concluded that Washington's continuous support for coup attempts and violent destabilization efforts against Caracas have further strengthened the image of the US as a "bellicose and threatening power." Instead they argued for “constructive engagement” with actors on the ground.
For its part, the Maduro government has repeatedly called for improved relations with Washington. The administration has also made the removal of sanctions a key demand in the Norway-mediated dialogue with the opposition that kicked off in Mexico on Friday.
The Friday letter adds to the growing calls for sanctions relief coming from the Democratic Party.
In March, a group of representatives and senators headlined by Omar requested that the Biden administration “review” its overall sanctions policy amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. In June, McGovern likewise urged the White House to end “misguided and immoral” sanctions against Venezuela.
Washington has increasingly turned to unilateral coercive measures in recent years in its attempts to overthrow the Maduro government. In 2015, former President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13692 declaring Venezuela “an unusual and extraordinary threat to US national security.”
The Trump administration considerably ramped up the US Treasury Department’s sanctions policy, freezing assets and targeting sectors such as banking, mining, food imports and especially the oil industry. The US imposed financial sanctions, an oil embargo, secondary sanctions, as well as a host of other measures meant to cripple Caracas’ main source of foreign income.
The blockade has decimated Venezuela’s oil output, which plummeted from an average of 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2017 to just over 500,000 bpd presently. Economist Francisco Rodríguez estimated US $17 billion of lost revenue between 2017 and 2019.
US economic aggression has severely compounded an economic crisis that has seen Venezuela’s GDP contract by almost 70 percent since 2013.
Washington’s sanctions have been classed as “collective punishment” and widely condemned by a range of multilateral organizations. United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Alfred de Zayas has estimated that sanctions caused at least 100,000 deaths until March 2020.
Most recently, a group of UN experts urged the US and allies to withdraw or minimize unilateral sanctions, arguing that they “hold countries back from development.”
“The punishment of innocent civilians must end,” the special rapporteurs stressed in a press release.
Andreína Chávez Alava reporting from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Ricardo Vaz from Mérida, Venezuela.
No comments:
Post a Comment