Congress passed a bill banning government officials who support international sanctions from holding office for up to 60 years.
Venezuelan lawmakers have approved a bill that would impose harsher penalties on those who support U.S. sanctions against President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
On Thursday, Venezuela’s National Assembly passed the so-called Simon Bolivar Liberator Law, which would ban officials who approved U.S. sanctions against Venezuela from holding office for up to 60 years.
“Whoever promotes, instigates, requests, appeals, favors, promotes, supports or participates in the adoption of coercive measures shall be punished by imprisonment for 25 to 30 years,” the law also states.
The law also allows broadcast media to be shut down if they support sanctions, while text-based media could be fined up to $51.7 million.
The bill is the latest effort by Maduro’s government to crack down on the opposition party, which it claims is the true winner of July’s presidential election, which many cast doubt on Maduro’s claim of victory.
The opposition has released constituency data that it says shows a convincing victory over Maduro, who has resisted calls from the regional government to release data that could substantiate his claim of victory.
Since then, protests against the government have faced harsh police crackdowns, and human rights groups have proposed a series of bills aimed at suppressing dissent.
Venezuela’s National Assembly, controlled by the pro-Maduro ruling party, voted in favor of the Bolivarian law after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the law, which would ban U.S. government agencies from working with anyone linked to Maduro’s government.
The U.S. Senate has yet to approve the bill, which Maduro himself has denounced as “garbage.”
The United States has stepped up pressure on Maduro’s government over the past two weeks, recognizing opposition leader Edmundo González as the country’s legitimate leader and announcing new sanctions targeting those allegedly involved in the post-election crackdown.
González, who fled to Spain during the post-election crackdown, said he plans to return to Venezuela in early January when the winner of the election takes office. Gonzalez said he was “morally prepared” to be detained if he returned to his home country.
