113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4587 

AN ACT 

To impose targeted sanctions on individuals responsible for 

carrying out or ordering human rights abuses against 

the citizens of Venezuela, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Venezuelan Human 

3 Rights and Democracy Protection Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITION. 

5 In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com6 mittees’’ means— 

7 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

8 Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on 

9 the Judiciary, and the Committee on Ways and 

10 Means of the House of Representatives; and 

11 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

12 Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, 

13 and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 

14 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

15 Congress finds the following: 

16 (1) On February 12, 2014, also known in Ven17 ezuela as the National Youth Day, students began 

18 protesting in several cities against Venezuelan leader 

19 Nicola ́s Maduro’s inability to stem violent crime, his 

20 undemocratic actions, and a rapidly deteriorating 

21 economy marked by high inflation and shortages of 

22 consumer goods. 

23 (2) On February 12, 2014, a judge issued an 

24 arrest warrant for Leopoldo Lo ́pez, leader of the op25 position party Voluntad Popular, for allegations in 

26 connection with the student protests. 
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1 (3) On February 17, 2014, the Government of 

2 Venezuela notified the United States Department of 

3 State that it had declared 3 consular officers at the 

4 United States Embassy in Venezuela personae non 

5 gratae. 

6 (4) On February 18, 2014, opposition leader 

7 Leopoldo Lo ́pez turned himself in to Venezuelan au8 thorities, was arrested, and charged with criminal 

9 incitement, conspiracy, arson, and intent to damage 

10 property. 

11 (5) Leopoldo Lo ́pez is currently being held in a 

12 prison at a military facility. 

13 (6) Nongovernmental human rights organiza14 tions have alleged that the charges brought against 

15 Leopoldo Lo ́pez appear to be a politically motivated 

16 attempt to silence dissent in the country. 

17 (7) As of May 1, 2014, there have been 41 peo18 ple killed, a reported 60 cases of torture, over 100 

19 injured, and many oppressively detained in relation 

20 to pro-democracy demonstrations throughout Ven21 ezuela. 

22 (8) On February 19, 2014, President Obama 

23 criticized the Government of Venezuela for arresting 

24 protesters, called for their release, and urged the 
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1 government to focus on the ‘‘legitimate grievances of 

2 the Venezuelan people’’. 

3 (9) According to the Department of State’s 

4 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 

5 2013 for Venezuela, ‘‘The principal human rights 

6 abuses reported during the year included corruption, 

7 politicization in the judicial system, and government 

8 actions to impede freedom of expression and restrict 

9 freedom of the press. The government did not re10 spect judicial independence or permit judges to act 

11 according to the law without fear of retaliation. The 

12 government used the judiciary to intimidate and se13 lectively prosecute political, union, business, and civil 

14 society leaders who were critical of government poli15 cies or actions. The government harassed and intimi16 dated privately owned television stations, other 

17 media outlets, and journalists throughout the year, 

18 using threats, fines, property seizures, targeted reg19 ulations, arrests, and criminal investigations and 

20 prosecutions.’’. 

21 (10) According to the Department of State’s 

22 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 

23 2013 for Venezuela, ‘‘The following human rights 

24 problems were reported by NGOs, the media, and in 

25 some cases the government itself: unlawful killings, 
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1 including summary killings by police elements; tor2 ture and other cruel, inhumane, or degrading treat3 ment; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions 

4 and lack of due process rights that contributed to 

5 widespread violence, riots, injuries, and deaths in 

6 prisons; inadequate juvenile detention centers; arbi7 trary arrests and detentions; corruption and impu8 nity in police forces; political prisoners; interference 

9 with privacy rights; corruption at all levels of gov10 ernment; threats against domestic NGOs; violence 

11 against women; anti-Semitism in the official media; 

12 trafficking in persons; violence based on sexual ori13 entation and gender identity; and restrictions on 

14 workers’ right of association.’’. 

15 (11) According to Freedom House’s Freedom in 

16 the World report of 2013 on Venezuela, ‘‘Nicola ́s 

17 Maduro, further weakened the independent media, 

18 reduced the opposition’s ability to serve as a check 

19 on government policy, and made threats to civil soci20 ety groups.’’. 

21 SEC. 4. ACTIONS AT THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN 

22 STATES. 

23 The Secretary of State shall direct the United States 

24 Permanent Representative to the Organization of Amer25 ican States to use the voice, vote, and influence of the 
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1 United States at the Organization of American States to 

2 defend and protect the Inter-American Democratic Char3 ter, and strengthen efforts by international and multilat4 eral organizations to advance the protection of human 

5 rights throughout the Western Hemisphere, especially in 

6 Venezuela. 

7 SEC. 5. SANCTIONS ON PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR VIO8 LENCE IN VENEZUELA. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose the 

10 sanctions described in subsection (b)(1)(A) and the Sec11 retary of State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or 

12 a designee of one of such Secretaries) shall impose the 

13 sanctions described in subsection (b)(1)(B) with respect 

14 to any person, including a current or former official of 

15 the Government of Venezuela or a person acting on behalf 

16 of that Government, that the President, or the Secretary 

17 of State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des18 ignee of one of such Secretaries), as the case may be, de19 termines— 

20 (1) has perpetrated, or is responsible for order21 ing, controlling, or otherwise directing, significant 

22 acts of violence or serious human rights abuses in 

23 Venezuela against individuals participating in pro24 tests in Venezuela that began on February 12, 2014; 
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1 (2) has directed or ordered the arrest or pros2 ecution of a person primarily because of the person’s 

3 legitimate exercise of freedom of expression or as4 sembly in relation to the protests in Venezuela that 

5 began on February 12, 2014; 

6 (3) has knowingly materially assisted, spon7 sored, or provided significant financial, material, or 

8 technological support for, or goods or services in 

9 support of, the commission of acts described in para10 graph (1) or (2) in relation to protests in Venezuela 

11 that began on February 12, 2014; or 

12 (4) has engaged in censorship against individ13 uals or media outlets disseminating information in 

14 relation to protests in Venezuela that began on Feb15 ruary 12, 2014. 

16 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions described in 

18 this subsection are the following: 

19 (A) ASSET BLOCKING.— 

20 (i) IN GENERAL.—The exercise of all 

21 powers granted to the President by the 

22 International Emergency Economic Powers 

23 Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent 

24 necessary to block and prohibit all trans25 actions in all property and interests in 
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1 property of a person determined by the 

2 President to be subject to subsection (a) if 

3 such property and interests in property are 

4 in the United States, come within the 

5 United States, or are or come within the 

6 possession or control of a United States 

7 person. 

8 (ii) EXCEPTION.— 

9 (I) IN GENERAL.—The authority 

10 to impose sanctions under clause (i) 

11 shall not include the authority to im12 pose sanctions relating to the importa13 tion of goods. 

14 (II) GOOD DEFINED.—In sub15 clause (I), the term ‘‘good’’ has the 

16 meaning given that term in section 16 

17 of the Export Administration Act of 

18 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2415) (as con19 tinued in effect pursuant to the Inter20 national Emergency Economic Powers 

21 Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)). 

22 (B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, AD23 MISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

24 (i) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

25 An alien who the Secretary of State or the 
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1 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des2 ignee of one of such Secretaries) knows or 

3 has reasonable grounds to believe meets 

4 any of the criteria described in subsection 

5 (a) is— 

6 (I) inadmissible to the United 

7 States; 

8 (II) ineligible to receive a visa or 

9 other documentation to enter the 

10 United States; and 

11 (III) otherwise ineligible to be 

12 admitted or paroled into the United 

13 States or to receive any other benefit 

14 under the Immigration and Nation15 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 

16 (ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

17 (I) IN GENERAL.—The issuing 

18 consular officer, the Secretary of 

19 State, or the Secretary of Homeland 

20 Security (or a designee of one of such 

21 Secretaries) shall revoke any visa or 

22 other entry documentation issued to 

23 an alien who meets any of the criteria 

24 described in subsection (a), regardless 

25 of when issued. 
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1 (II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.— 

2 A revocation under subclause (I) shall 

3 take effect immediately; and shall 

4 automatically cancel any other valid 

5 visa or entry documentation that is in 

6 the alien’s possession. 

7 (2) PENALTIES.—A person that is subject to 

8 sanctions described in paragraph (1)(A) shall be 

9 subject to the penalties set forth in subsections (b) 

10 and (c) of section 206 of the International Emer11 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the 

12 same extent as a person that commits an unlawful 

13 act described in subsection (a) of that section. 

14 (3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA15 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

16 under paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply to an alien 

17 if admitting the alien into the United States is nec18 essary to permit the United States to comply with 

19 the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 

20 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 

21 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, 

22 between the United Nations and the United States, 

23 or other applicable international obligations. 
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1 (c) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica2 tion of sanctions under subsection (b) with respect to a 

3 person if the President— 

4 (1) determines that such a waiver is in the na5 tional interests of the United States and on or be6 fore the date on which the waiver takes effect, sub7 mits to the appropriate congressional committees a 

8 notice of and justification for the waiver; or 

9 (2) determines that the conditions in Venezuela 

10 have improved with regard to respect for peaceful 

11 protest and basic human rights and on or before the 

12 date on which the waiver takes effect, submits to the 

13 appropriate congressional committees a notice of and 

14 justification for the waiver. 

15 (d) IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may exercise 

17 all authorities provided to the President under sec18 tions 203 and 205 of the International Emergency 

19 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) 

20 for purposes of carrying out this section. 

21 (2) EXCEPTION.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—The authority to im23 pose sanctions under paragraph (1) shall not 

24 include the authority to impose sanctions relat25 ing to the importation of goods. 
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1 (B) GOOD DEFINED.—In subparagraph 

2 (A), the term ‘‘good’’ has the meaning given 

3 that term in section 16 of the Export Adminis4 tration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2415) (as 

5 continued in effect pursuant to the Inter6 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

7 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)). 

8 (e) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—The President shall 

9 issue such regulations, licenses, and orders as are nec10 essary to carry out this section. 

11 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms ‘‘admitted’’ 

13 and ‘‘alien’’ have meanings given those terms in sec14 tion 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

15 U.S.C. 1101). 

16 (2) MATERIALLY ASSISTED.—The term ‘‘mate17 rially assisted’’ means the provision of assistance 

18 that is significant and of a kind directly relevant to 

19 acts described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection 

20 (a). 

21 (3) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

22 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

23 (A) a United States citizen or an alien law24 fully admitted for permanent residence to the 

25 United States; or 
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1 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

2 the United States or of any jurisdiction within 

3 the United States, including a foreign branch of 

4 such an entity. 

5 SEC. 6. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 

6 TRANSFER OF GOODS OR TECHNOLOGIES TO 

7 VENEZUELA THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE USED 

8 TO COMMIT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc10 tions described in section 5(b) with respect to each person 

11 on the list required under subsection (b) of this section. 

12 (b) LIST.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

14 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 

15 shall transmit to the appropriate congressional com16 mittees a list of persons who the President deter17 mines have knowingly engaged in an activity de18 scribed in paragraph (2) on or after such date of en19 actment. 

20 (2) ACTIVITY DESCRIBED.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—A person knowingly en22 gages in an activity described in this paragraph 

23 if the person— 

24 (i) transfers, or facilitates the transfer 

25 of, goods or technologies described in sub-
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1 paragraph (C) to Venezuela, any person 

2 organized under the laws of Venezuela, or 

3 any national of Venezuela, for use in or 

4 with respect to Venezuela; or 

5 (ii) provides services (including serv6 ices relating to hardware, software, and 

7 specialized information, and professional 

8 consulting, engineering, and support serv9 ices) with respect to goods or technologies 

10 described in subparagraph (C) after such 

11 goods or technologies are transferred to 

12 Venezuela. 

13 (B) APPLICABILITY TO CONTRACTS AND

14 OTHER AGREEMENTS.—A person engages in an 

15 activity described in subparagraph (A) without 

16 regard to whether the activity is carried out 

17 pursuant to a contract or other agreement en18 tered into before, on, or after the date of the 

19 enactment of this Act. 

20 (C) GOODS OR TECHNOLOGIES DE21 SCRIBED.— 

22 (i) IN GENERAL.—Goods or tech23 nologies described in this subparagraph are 

24 goods or technologies that the President 

25 determines are to be used by the Govern-
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1 ment of Venezuela or any of the agencies 

2 or instrumentalities of the Government of 

3 Venezuela (or by any other person on be4 half of the Government of Venezuela or 

5 any of such agencies or instrumentalities) 

6 to commit serious human rights abuses 

7 against the people of Venezuela, includ8 ing— 

9 (I) firearms or ammunition (as 

10 such terms are defined in section 921 

11 of title 18, United States Code), rub12 ber bullets, police batons, pepper or 

13 chemical sprays, stun grenades, elec14 troshock weapons, tear gas, water 

15 cannons, or surveillance technology; or 

16 (II) sensitive technology. 

17 (ii) SENSITIVE TECHNOLOGY DE18 FINED.— 

19 (I) IN GENERAL.—For purposes 

20 of clause (i)(II), the term ‘‘sensitive 

21 technology’’ means hardware, soft22 ware, telecommunications equipment, 

23 or any other technology, that the 

24 President determines is to be used 

25 specifically— 
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1 (aa) to restrict the free flow 

2 of unbiased information in Ven3 ezuela; or 

4 (bb) to disrupt, monitor, or 

5 otherwise restrict speech of the 

6 people of Venezuela. 

7 (II) EXCEPTION.—The term 

8 ‘‘sensitive technology’’ does not in9 clude information or informational 

10 materials the exportation of which the 

11 President does not have the authority 

12 to regulate or prohibit pursuant to 

13 section 203(b)(3) of the International 

14 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

15 U.S.C. 1702(b)(3)). 

16 (3) SPECIAL RULE TO ALLOW FOR TERMI17 NATION OF SANCTIONABLE ACTIVITY.—The Presi18 dent shall not be required to include a person on the 

19 list required under paragraph (1) if— 

20 (A) the President determines that the per21 son is no longer engaging in, or has taken sig22 nificant credible steps toward stopping (includ23 ing winding down contracts or other agreements 

24 that were in effect prior to the date of the en25 actment of this Act) the activity described in 
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1 paragraph (2) for which the President would 

2 otherwise have included the person on the list; 

3 and 

4 (B) the President has received reliable as5 surances that such person will not knowingly 

6 engage in any new activity described in such 

7 paragraph (2). 

8 (4) UPDATES OF LIST.—The President shall 

9 transmit to the appropriate congressional commit10 tees an updated list under paragraph (1)— 

11 (A) not later than 180 days after the date 

12 of the enactment of this Act; and 

13 (B) as new information becomes available. 

14 (5) FORM OF LIST; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 

15 (A) FORM.—The list required under para16 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 

17 form but may contain a classified annex. 

18 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclassi19 fied portion of the list required under para20 graph (1) shall be made available to the public 

21 and posted on the Web site of the Department 

22 of State. 

23 (c) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica24 tion of sanctions described in section 5(b) with respect to 
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1 a person on the list required under subsection (b) of this 

2 section if the President— 

3 (1) determines that such a waiver is in the na4 tional interests of the United States and on or be5 fore the date on which the waiver takes effect, sub6 mits to the appropriate congressional committees a 

7 notice of and justification for the waiver; or 

8 (2) determines that the conditions in Venezuela 

9 have improved with regard to respect for peaceful 

10 protest and basic human rights and on or before the 

11 date on which the waiver takes effect, submits to the 

12 appropriate congressional committees a notice of and 

13 justification for the waiver. 

14 (d) IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may exercise 

16 all authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 

17 of the International Emergency Economic Powers 

18 Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out this 

19 section. 

20 (2) EXCEPTION.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—The authority to im22 pose sanctions under paragraph (1) shall not 

23 include the authority to impose sanctions relat24 ing to the importation of goods. 
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1 (B) GOOD DEFINED.—In subparagraph 

2 (A), the term ‘‘good’’ has the meaning given 

3 that term in section 16 of the Export Adminis4 tration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2415) (as 

5 continued in effect pursuant to the Inter6 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

7 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)). 

8 SEC. 7. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO PROMOTE INTER9 NET FREEDOM AND ACCESS TO INFORMA10 TION. 

11 Not later than 120 days after the date of the enact12 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation 

13 with heads of other Federal departments and agencies, as 

14 appropriate, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Af15 fairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

16 on Foreign Relations of the Senate a comprehensive strat17 egy that is classified to the extent necessary to— 

18 (1) assist the people of Venezuela to produce, 

19 access, and share information freely and safely via 

20 the Internet; 

21 (2) increase the capabilities and availability of 

22 secure mobile and other communications through 

23 connective technology among human rights and de24 mocracy advocates in Venezuela; 
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1 (3) provide resources for digital training for 

2 media and academic and civil society organizations 

3 in Venezuela; 

4 (4) increase emergency resources for the most 

5 vulnerable human rights advocates seeking to orga6 nize, share information, and support human rights 

7 in Venezuela; 

8 (5) expand access to uncensored sources of local 

9 news and information using all available and effec10 tive mediums of communication, especially through 

11 platforms that leverage public-private partnerships; 

12 (6) expand activities to safely assist and train 

13 human rights, civil society, and democracy activists 

14 in Venezuela to operate effectively and securely; 

15 (7) expand access to proxy servers for democ16 racy activists in Venezuela; and 

17 (8) discourage telecommunications and software 

18 companies from facilitating Internet censorship by 

19 the Government of Venezuela. 

20 SEC. 8. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO ENCOURAGE VEN21 EZUELA TO ABIDE BY THE PRINCIPLES EN22 SHRINED IN THE INTER-AMERICAN DEMO23 CRATIC CHARTER. 

24 Not later than 120 days after the date of the enact25 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 
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1 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep2 resentatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

3 the Senate a comprehensive strategy outlining how the 

4 United States is supporting the citizens of Venezuela in 

5 seeking— 

6 (1) free, fair, and transparent elections— 

7 (A) conducted with the presence of inter8 nationally recognized observers; and 

9 (B) in which— 

10 (i) all parties are permitted ample 

11 time to organize and campaign for such 

12 elections; and 

13 (ii) all candidates are permitted equi14 table access to the media; 

15 (2) basic civil liberties and human rights, in16 cluding access to and support for nongovernmental 

17 organizations in such activities; 

18 (3) establishment of independent judiciaries and 

19 electoral councils; and 

20 (4) development of an independent civil society 

21 with the capacity to advocate on behalf of constitu22 ents. 

23 SEC. 9. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON POLITICAL PRISONERS. 

24 It shall be the policy of the United States— 
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1 (1) to support efforts to research and identify 

2 prisoners of conscience and cases of human rights 

3 abuses in Venezuela; 

4 (2) to offer refugee status or political asylum in 

5 the United States to political dissidents in Venezuela 

6 if requested and consistent with the laws and na7 tional security interests of the United States; 

8 (3) to offer to assist, through the United Na9 tions High Commissioner for Refugees, with the re10 location of such political prisoners to other countries 

11 if requested, as appropriate and with appropriate 

12 consideration for the national security interests of 

13 the United States; and 

14 (4) to publicly call for the release of Venezuelan 

15 country dissidents by name and raise awareness with 

16 respect to individual cases of Venezuelan country 

17 dissidents and prisoners of conscience, as appro18 priate and if requested by the dissidents or prisoners 

19 themselves or their families. 

20 SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR AS21 SISTANCE TO SUPPORT CIVIL SOCIETY IN 

22 VENEZUELA. 

23 There is authorized to be appropriated to the United 

24 States Agency for International Development for fiscal 
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1 year 2015 not less than $5,000,000 to provide assistance 

2 to civil society in Venezuela. 

3 SEC. 11. OFFSET. 

4 Section 102(a) of the Enhanced Partnership with 

5 Pakistan Act of 2009 (22 U.S.C. 8412(a); Public Law 

6 111–73; 123 Stat. 2068) is amended by striking 

7 ‘‘$1,500,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$1,493,000,000’’. 

8 SEC. 12. SUNSET. 

9 This Act shall cease to be effective beginning on the 

10 date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of 

11 this Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 28, 2014. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4587 

AN ACT 

To impose targeted sanctions on individuals responother purposes. abuses against the citizens of Venezuela, and for sible for carrying out or ordering human rights