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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 365 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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, and Mr. 
 Nelson) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 distortions, 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 Lopez, 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 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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms United States support for the people of 
        Venezuela in their pursuit of the free exercise of 
        representative democracy as guaranteed by the Venezuelan 
        constitution and defined under the Inter-American Democratic 
        Charter of the Organization of American States;
            (2) deplores the use of excessive and unlawful force 
        against peaceful demonstrators in Venezuela and the inexcusable 
        use of violence and politically motivated criminal charges to 
        intimidate the country's political opposition;
            (3) calls on the Government of Venezuela to disarm and 
        dismantle the system of ``colectivos'' or ``collectives'' and 
        any other government-affiliated or supported militias or 
        vigilante groups;
            (4) calls on the Government of Venezuela to allow an 
        impartial, third-party investigation into the excessive and 
        unlawful force against peaceful demonstrations on multiple 
        occasions since February 4, 2014;
            (5) urges the President to immediately impose targeted 
        sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, against 
        individuals planning, facilitating, or perpetrating gross human 
        rights violations against peaceful demonstrators, journalists, 
        and other members of civil society in Venezuela; and
            (6) calls for the United States Government to work with 
        other countries in the hemisphere to actively encourage a 
        process of dialogue between the Government of Venezuela and the 
        political opposition through the good offices of the 
        Organization of American States so that the voices of all 
        Venezuelans can be taken into account through their country's 
        constitutional institutions as well as free and fair elections.
                                 <all>
```