III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 365 

Deploring the violent repression of peaceful demonstrators in Venezuela, calling for full accountability for human rights violations taking place in 

Venezuela, and supporting the right of the Venezuelan people to the 

free and peaceful exercise of representative democracy. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2014 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. NELSON, Mr. KIRK, Mr. BEGICH, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MCCAIN, 

Mr. CORNYN, Mr. KAINE, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. WARNER, and Mr. THUNE) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Relations 

MARCH 11, 2014 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, without amendment 

MARCH 12, 2014 

Considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Deploring the violent repression of peaceful demonstrators 

in Venezuela, calling for full accountability for human 

rights violations taking place in Venezuela, and supporting the right of the Venezuelan people to the free 

and peaceful exercise of representative democracy. 

Whereas the Government of Venezuela’s chronic mismanagement of its economy has produced inflation that exceeds 

50 percent annually, currency shortages, economic distorVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:03 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR365.ATS SR365

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SRES 365 ATS 

tions, and the routine absence of basic goods and foodstuffs; 

Whereas the Government of Venezuela’s failure to guarantee 

minimal standards of public security for its citizens has 

led the country to become one of the most violent in the 

world, with the per capita homicide rate in the city of Caracas exceeding 115 per 100,000 people; 

Whereas the Government of Venezuela has taken continued 

steps to remove checks and balances on the executive, politicize the judiciary, undermine the independence of the 

legislature through use of executive decree powers, persecute and prosecute its political opponents, curtail freedom of the press, and limit the free expression of its citizens; 

Whereas, on January 23, 2014, National Representative 

Maria Corina Machado and Mr. Leopoldo Lo ́pez, leader 

of the political party ‘‘Popular Will’’, among others, 

called on the Venezuelan people to gather in street assemblies and debate a popular, democratic and constitutional ‘‘way out’’ of Venezuela’s crisis of governability; 

Whereas, since February 4, 2014, the people of Venezuela— 

responding to ongoing economic hardship, high levels of 

crime and violence, and the lack of basic political rights 

and individual freedoms—have turned out in demonstrations in Caracas and throughout the country to protest 

the Government of Venezuela’s inability to ensure the political and economic well-being of its citizens; 

Whereas the government of Nicolas Maduro responded to the 

mass demonstrations by ordering the arrest without evidence of senior opposition leaders, including Mr. 

Leopoldo Lopez, Carlos Vecchio, and Antonio Rivero, and 


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by violently repressing peaceful demonstrators with the 

help of the Venezuelan National Guard and groups of 

armed, government-affiliated civilians, known as ‘‘collectives’’; 

Whereas, on February 18, 2014, opposition leader Leopoldo 

Lopez turned himself in to authorities in Venezuela, was 

arrested, and charged unjustly with criminal incitement, 

conspiracy, arson, and intent to damage property; 

Whereas the Maduro government has sought to censor information about the demonstrations and the government’s 

violent crackdown by blocking online images and threatening the few remaining uncensored domestic media outlets; 

Whereas President Maduro threatened to expel the United 

States news network CNN from Venezuela and has taken 

off the air the Colombian news channel NTN 24, which 

transmits in Venezuela, after news outlets reported on 

the nationwide protests; 

Whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 

released a statement on February 14, 2014, which ‘‘expresses its concern over the serious incidents of violence 

that have taken place in the context of protest demonstrations in Venezuela, as well as other complaints concerning acts of censorship against media outlets, attacks 

on organizations that defend human rights, and acts of 

alleged political persecution’’; and 

Whereas, as of February 27, 2014, there have been 13 people 

killed, over 100 injured, and dozens have been unjustly 

detained due to pro-democracy demonstrations throughout Venezuela: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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1 (1) reaffirms United States support for the peo2 ple of Venezuela in their pursuit of the free exercise 

3 of representative democracy as guaranteed by the 

4 Venezuelan constitution and defined under the Inter5 American Democratic Charter of the Organization of 

6 American States; 

7 (2) deplores the use of excessive and unlawful 

8 force against peaceful demonstrators in Venezuela 

9 and the inexcusable use of violence and politically 

10 motivated criminal charges to intimidate the coun11 try’s political opposition; 

12 (3) calls on the Government of Venezuela to 

13 disarm and dismantle the system of ‘‘colectivos’’ or 

14 ‘‘collectives’’ and any other government-affiliated or 

15 supported militias or vigilante groups; 

16 (4) calls on the Government of Venezuela to 

17 allow an impartial, third-party investigation into the 

18 excessive and unlawful force against peaceful dem19 onstrations on multiple occasions since February 4, 

20 2014; 

21 (5) urges the President to immediately impose 

22 targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset 

23 freezes, against individuals planning, facilitating, or 

24 perpetrating gross human rights violations against 


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1 peaceful demonstrators, journalists, and other mem2 bers of civil society in Venezuela; and 

3 (6) calls for the United States Government to 

4 work with other countries in the hemisphere to ac5 tively encourage a process of dialogue between the 

6 Government of Venezuela and the political opposi7 tion through the good offices of the Organization of 

8 American States so that the voices of all Ven9 ezuelans can be taken into account through their 

10 country’s constitutional institutions as well as free 

11 and fair elections. 

Æ 


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