US Embassy For Venezuela Pressures Maduro Regime as Inauguration Day Nears

The US Embassy in Venezuela is pressuring Dictator Nicolas Maduro to cease his sponsorship of systemic human rights violations.

Through social media posts, the US Embassy claimed Dictator Maduro is “jailing hundreds of women for political reasons, many of them suffering inhumane treatment, separated from their children and families.”

“We call on the justice system to tackle this situation and guarantee the detainee’s human rights,” continued the embassy. 

Maduro has repeatedly employed a series of criminal and violent tactics to persecute political opponents. 

According to a United Nation’s report, these include arbitrary deprivations of life, arbitrary detentions, short-term forced disappearances, acts of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as sexual and gender-based violence.

According to the Department of State, US authorities seek to arrest Maduro for international crimes involving drug and arms trafficking.

In March 2020, Maduro was charged by a New York court with narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

The embassy’s statement comes weeks before Maduro is scheduled to be officially inaugurated as President of Venezuela after Venezuela’s political opposition proved Maduro lost the presidential election. 

Venezuela’s elections followed failed negotiations between Venezuela’s government and President Joe Biden’s administration over electoral assurances in exchange for sanctions relief.

Despite promises of allowing free and fair elections, the Venezuelan regime barred opposition leader Maria Corina Machado from participating in the same.

However, Machado invested her political capital into former Venezuelan Ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez, who subsequently won the presidential elections.

Subsequently, Gonzalez was forced to seek political asylum in Spain after the Maduro regime threatened to arrest him.

Gonzalez has recently assured supporters he intends to return to Venezuela on Presidential inauguration day to demand he be inaugurated as Venezuela’s rightful president. 

Now, all eyes are turning to President-elect Donald Trump in anticipation of his policies towards Venezuela.

Some reports suggest he may be facing pressure to continue Biden’s conciliatory approach in order to secure immigration enforcement in Venezuela.

Meanwhile, however, President Trump’s cabinet picks, such as Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, have lobbied for a hardline approach to Venezuela with the ultimate goal of a democratic transition.