Lawmaker Luis Parra, Major General Jose Ornelas Ferreira, Justice Minister Nestor Reverol, are among the 11 officials of Nicolas Maduro’s administration sanctioned this July 7 by the Swiss government.
According to Switzerland, the officials got sanctioned for violations of human rights and democratic principles in Venezuela. Also added to the list are Elvis Amoroso, the comptroller general appointed by Maduro; Gladys Requena and Tania Diaz, members of the Maduro-controlled Constituent Assembly; Juan Jose Mendoza, president of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice; Jorge Elieser Marquez, president of telecoms Conatel; prosecutors Farik Mora and Dinorah Bustamante; and lawmakers Franklyn Duarte and Jose Gregorio Noriega.
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Luis Parra is accused of undermining democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela. “As a member of the National Assembly, he organized his election as president of the National Assembly on January 5, 2020, which undermines democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Major General Jose Ornelas Ferreira got sanctioned for being responsible for serious human rights violations, repression of civil society, and the democratic opposition in Venezuela. The major is indicated to have obstructed the provision of humanitarian aid and used excessive force by officials of the National Armed Forces.
The communique from Geneva also states that subordinate forces under the command of Jose Ornelas Ferreira, including the Strategic Region of Integral Defense, the Zone of Operations of Integral Defense, and the Bolivarian National Guard, have supported actions of the Maduro government that undermined democracy in Venezuela.
The sanctions are additional to those announced June 29, only days before, by the European Union against a group also of 11 Venezuelans, including Parra and present and former officials, as well as private individuals. So far, the EU has sanctioned 36 individuals linked to the Maduro regime.
