- Venezuela Approves Tough Anti-Piracy Law After U.S. Oil Seizures.
- Venezuela Assembly Backs Harsh Sentences Amid U.S. Pressure.
- Caracas Targets Piracy and Blockades With New Prison Law.
On Tuesday, Venezuela’s National Assembly, which is under the control of the ruling party, unanimously passed a law that imposes prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone found promoting or financing what the government labels as piracy or blockades. This move comes in response to recent actions taken by the U.S. against Venezuelan oil shipments, reports Reuters.
U.S. Interceptions and Sanctions Pressure
This new law, which also addresses “other international crimes,” follows a series of U.S. actions against Venezuelan oil shipments. These include the recent seizure of a sanctioned supertanker carrying Venezuelan crude and attempts to intercept two other vessels over the weekend, as reported by U.S. officials. These actions represent the most significant blow to the state oil company PDVSA since the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on its former trading partners, two subsidiaries of Russia’s Rosneft, back in 2020. This earlier move forced PDVSA to reduce both production and exports, and the company has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019.
Bill Introduced by Pro-Government Lawmaker
The draft legislation, titled “Law to Guarantee Freedom of Navigation and Commerce Against Piracy, Blockades, and Other International Illicit Acts” was put forward on Monday by pro-government lawmaker Giuseppe Alessandrello.
Next Steps for Implementation
At the end of the session, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez announced that the bill would be sent to the executive branch for approval and would take effect once it’s published in the Official Gazette.
Escalating Tensions With Washington
In recent months, Washington has ramped up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government, including a military buildup in the Caribbean and conducting strikes on boats it claims, without providing evidence, are involved in drug trafficking off its coasts. U.S. authorities assert that these operations are aimed at combating sanctions evasion and drug trafficking, while Maduro contends that the United States is trying to destabilise Venezuela’s economy and remove him from power.
Attacks on Political Opposition
Rodriguez also blasted Venezuela’s political opposition, whose leader has been in hiding for months but travelled to Oslo earlier in December to collect her Nobel Peace Prize. He accused the opposition of promoting sanctions and said they “stole, plundered, bowed down to U.S. imperialism,” adding that “they are happy with the aggressive actions currently taking place in the Caribbean Sea.”
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Source: Reuters
