Sanctions Kill endorses this sign-on letter by Venezuela Solidarity Network
In advance of Venezuela’s presidential election, the U.S. had announced that regardless of the vote count, if Maduro won, they would not recognize his victory. Accordingly, the U.S. anointed opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez, who came in second place in the Presidential election, as Washington’s choice for president-elect. Now in voluntary exile in Spain, Gonzalez has said he will travel back to Venezuela to be sworn in himself, raising the fear of outside interference.
U.S.-backed opposition candidate Gonzalez claimed victory in the July 28 presidential elections despite results presented by the official National Electoral Council (CNE) showing him in second place. Venezuela’s supreme court (TSJ) subsequently confirmed the results.
Gonzalez’s claim is based on the publication of voting results posted on a private website. Gonzalez refused to present his evidence to the TSJ, leaving the Venezuelan’s no constitutionally mandated means for recognizing his alleged victory even if it were valid.
That is because the U.S. and its hand-picked extreme right opposition were not interested in winning the election. Their radical program – privatization of public education, health care, and welfare, along with reorienting the country’s foreign policy in favor of the U.S./Zionist genocidal war on the Palestinians – could not be achieved by anything short of extra-parliamentary means.
Washington’s intent has been to delegitimize the Venezuelan electoral process to achieve its goal of regime change. The U.S. has waged a hybrid war of unilateral coercive measures (so-called illegal “sanctions”), coup attempts, and diplomatic machinations such as recognizing a parallel government to the constitutional one in Caracas. From 2017-2018 alone, U.S. sanctions on Venezuela killed an estimated 40,000 people.
The U.S. worked to undermine Maduro’s election in corporate and social media. Since the election, Washington has imposed new sanctions on dozens of Venezuelan officials, because they have recognized the re-election of President Maduro, the findings of Venezuela’s own constitutional institutions. The U.S. also seized a presidential plane, re-tightened oil sanctions, and threatened to withdraw existing oil licenses. The House of Representatives recently passed the offensively named “BOLIVAR Act,” codifying existing sanctions.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government has warned of multiple threats posed by those intent on fomenting instability and chaos in Venezuela. Over the past months, authorities have arrested active-duty foreign soldiers and mercenaries, including U.S. citizens. They have seized weapons shipments and uncovered plots involving drug cartels and armed gangs. There have been successful and foiled acts of sabotage on energy infrastructure throughout the country. This U.S.-backed violence is an attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government of President Maduro.
As we get closer to the January 10 inauguration, the threats against the people of Venezuela’s independence and sovereignty are growing. Erik Prince, the warmonger of Blackwater infamy, launched a crowdsourcing campaign to raise funds to form a military force to oust President Maduro. Edmundo Gonzalez recently posted on social media: “You can’t go to war with fear. January 10 has already begun.”
We reject these threats of war and we reject the imposition of new sanctions. The Venezuelan people must be allowed to determine their own path without outside interference. We call on people around the world to join us in increasing our united efforts to end U.S.-led sanctions, threats and interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs.
Hands off Venezuela!
Lift all sanctions against Venezuela!