Venezuela increases prison terms to 30 years for those who support foreign sanctions
AFP, Sputnik and Xinhua
La Jornada Newspaper
Friday, November 29, 2024, p. 23
Caracas. The National Assembly of Venezuela yesterday approved the Liberator Simón Bolívar Law, which imposes 25 to 30 years in prison on anyone who supports international sanctions against the Bolivarian nation and establishes disqualifications from holding public office for up to 60 years for politicians who support them.
The legislation condemns with identical penalties whoever promotes, instigates, requests, invokes, favors, facilitates, supports, finances or participates in armed actions or force against the Caribbean country; In addition, fines equivalent to between 100,000 and one million dollars were stipulated.
At the same time, it establishes the same economic penalties for media outlets that disclose propaganda in favor of sanctions coming from abroad or messages that support them, and, as a consequence, they may be creditors to the revocation of concession to operate (television and radio stations); Likewise, it will apply to messages in the written press and social networks.
Those accused of promoting foreign actions against the country, added the legal provision, will be tried in absentia if they refuse to attend the hearings. If they were foreigners, they would be subject to expulsions of the country, in addition to the confiscation of their assets in Venezuelan territory.
Among other measures, the asset forfeiture law will be applied to combat crimes such as corruption, terrorism and illicit trafficking of psychotropic substances and narcotics, among others.
Response to EU
The Liberator Simón Bolívar Law arises in response to HR 825, called law Bolívar, which was approved on November 20 in the United States House of Representatives, which expands the scope of sanctions against Caracas, in addition to toughening the prohibition of commercial operations between both governments.
From the federal legislative palace, the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, indicated that the regulations will be sent to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice for the due pronouncement that validates its constitutionality.