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Statement Regarding Announcement that President Maduro Will Sanction Senator Robert Menendez and Other U.S. Officials


NEWARK, NJ – Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement regarding being sanctioned by President Maduro.

"President Maduro's failed economic policies and the regime's heavy-handed tactics against peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders are directly responsible for the unnecessary suffering of the Venezuelan people. Human rights violations are a new constant in Venezuela. The killing of fourteen-year-old Kluiverth Roa and arbitrary arrest of Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma demonstrate that the Maduro regime will go to extreme lengths to kill, harm, injure, and suppress its people.

“Being sanctioned by the Maduro regime will never deter me from speaking out against the ruin caused by his government. This ploy is a hollow and transparent attempt to shift the spotlight of blame away from his failings, but the track record of misery is too great to ignore.

"The people of Venezuela deserve a better future. I urge the Obama Administration to move forward swiftly with the targeted human rights sanctions approved by Congress last year."

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