IV 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 488 
Supporting the people of Venezuela as they protest peacefully for democratic 
change and calling to end the violence. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 25, 2014 
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. SALMON, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Ms. 
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. SIRES, Mr. GARCIA, Mr. DESANTIS, Mr. 
GRAYSON, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. 
MURPHY of Florida, Mr. YOHO, Mr. STOCKMAN, Mr. DUNCAN of South 
Carolina, and Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the people of Venezuela as they protest peacefully 
for democratic change and calling to end the violence. 
Whereas the United States Government should support the 
free and peaceful exercise of representative democracy in 
Venezuela, condemning violence and intimidation against 
the country’s political opposition, and calling for dialogue 
between all political actors in the country; 
Whereas, on February 12, 2014, also known in Venezuela as 
the National Youth Day, students began protesting in 
several cities against anti-democratic decisions and the 
crippling economy made by Venezuelan leader Nicolas 
Maduro; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:59 Feb 26, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR488.IH
HR488
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 488 IH 
Whereas, on February 12, 2014, a judge issued an arrest 
warrant for Leopoldo Lo´pez, leader of the opposition 
party Voluntad Popular, for baseless and unfounded alle-
gations in connection with the student protests; 
Whereas, on February 17, 2014, the Government of Ven-
ezuela notified the United States Department of State 
that it had declared 3 consular officers at the United 
States Embassy in Venezuela personae non gratae; 
Whereas over the last year, the Government of Venezuela has 
expelled a total of 8 United States Government officials 
from Venezuela; 
Whereas, on February 18, 2014, opposition leader Leopoldo 
Lopez turned himself in to Venezuelan authorities, was 
arrested, and charged with criminal incitement, con-
spiracy, arson, and intent to damage property; 
Whereas Leopoldo Lopez is currently being held in a prison 
at a military facility; 
Whereas according to Amnesty International, ‘‘The charges 
brought against Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo 
Lo´pez smack of a politically motivated attempt to silence 
dissent in the country’’; 
Whereas the Venezuelan Government has blocked users’ on-
line images as opposition groups marched through Cara-
cas; 
Whereas the Venezuelan people have been protesting eco-
nomic, social, and political concerns facing their country, 
including corruption, rising inflation rates, unemploy-
ment, shortages of everyday products, increasing crime 
rates, and the erosion of human rights and respect for 
political dissent; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:59 Feb 26, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR488.IH
HR488
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 488 IH 
Whereas, on February 19, 2014, President Barack Obama 
criticized the Venezuelan Government for arresting pro-
testers, called for their release, and urged the government 
to focus on the ‘‘legitimate grievances of the Venezuelan 
people’’; 
Whereas, as of February 20, 2014, there have been 13 people 
killed, over 100 injured, and many persons unjustly de-
tained due to pro-democracy demonstrations throughout 
Venezuela; 
Whereas Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro threatened to 
expel the United States news network CNN from Ven-
ezuela and has taken off the air the Colombian news 
channel NTN 24, which transmits in Venezuela, after 
news outlets reported on the nation-wide protests; 
Whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 
released a statement on February 14, 2014, which ‘‘ex-
presses its concern over the serious incidents of violence 
that have taken place in the context of protest dem-
onstrations in Venezuela, as well as other complaints con-
cerning acts of censorship against media outlets, attacks 
on organizations that defend human rights, and acts of 
alleged political persecution’’; and 
Whereas as a member of the Organization of American 
States and signatory to the Inter-American Democratic 
Charter, the Government of Venezuela has agreed to 
abide by the principles of constitutional, representative 
democracy, which include free and fair elections and ad-
herence to its own constitution: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the people of Venezuela in their 
pursuit of freedom of expression and freedom of as-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:59 Feb 26, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR488.IH
HR488
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 488 IH 
sembly to promote democratic principles in Ven-
ezuela; 
(2) deplores the inexcusable violence per-
petrated against opposition leaders and protesters in 
Venezuela, and the growing efforts to use politically 
motivated criminal charges to intimidate the coun-
try’s political opposition; 
(3) urges responsible nations throughout the 
international community to stand in solidarity with 
the people of Venezuela and to actively encourage a 
process of dialogue between the Government of Ven-
ezuela and the political opposition to end the vio-
lence; 
(4) urges the United States Department of 
State to work in concert with other countries in the 
Americas to take meaningful steps to ensure that 
basic fundamental freedoms in Venezuela are in ac-
cordance with the Inter-American Democratic Char-
ter and to strengthen the ability of the Organization 
of American States (OAS) to respond to the erosion 
of democratic norms and institutions in member 
states; 
(5) urges the United States Department of 
State to insist that the Secretary General of the 
OAS immediately convene the OAS’s Permanent 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:59 Feb 26, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR488.IH
HR488
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 488 IH 
Council to seek the most effective way to expedi-
tiously end the violence in Venezuela in accordance 
with the Inter-American Democratic Charter; and 
(6) supports the Inter-American Commission on 
Human Rights in calling upon the Venezuelan Gov-
ernment to ‘‘urgently adopt all measures that may 
be necessary to guarantee the rights to life, humane 
treatment, and security, as well as the political 
rights, the right of assembly, and the rights of free-
dom of association and freedom of expression of ev-
eryone under its jurisdiction’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:59 Feb 26, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR488.IH
HR488
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS