The Democratic senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Adam Schiff demanded from the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, a report on the possible human rights violations committed in Venezuela during the interim presidency of Delcy Rodríguez.
The legislators made the request through a letter circulated this Monday, according to the EFE agency, and demanded that the State Department take measures to prevent further abuses.
"We urge the State Department to reaffirm its commitment" to denouncing human rights violations and to applying pressure on those responsible, stated Cortez and Schiff.
If the State Department refuses to submit the requested report, the senators are considering using "all available mechanisms," including Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act.
That provision prohibits the United States from providing assistance to governments that maintain a persistent pattern of serious human rights violations.
The senators expressed their concern about the "serious human rights violations" in the country and asserted that the abuses recorded during Nicolás Maduro's term have not diminished following his capture and Rodríguez's assumption of power in an interim capacity.
They also noted that this situation persists despite the considerable influence that, according to them, the United States government currently has over Venezuelan affairs.
Lawmakers warned that Congress will continue to oversee the initiatives of the Donald Trump administration aimed at supporting the interim Government of Rodríguez.
The pressure on Rubio comes at a time of close involvement by Washington in Venezuela.
In May, the Secretary of State stated that over 10 million barrels of Venezuelan oil had been sent to the United States since Maduro's capture on January 3.
Rubio then stated that oil revenues were deposited into a U.S. account supervised by the Department of the Treasury and audited by the firm KPMG, as part of a plan divided into three phases: stabilization, recovery, and transition.
On July 20, the head of U.S. diplomacy confirmed the formal initiation of the transition process and announced that Washington would play an active role in the discussions between the interim Government and representatives of the National Assembly elected in 2015.
As part of that process, representatives of chavismo and a sector of the opposition established a negotiation table on August 6 at La Carlota airbase in Caracas.
Among the principles announced for these conversations are the protection of human and political rights, mutual respect, and the verifiable compliance with agreements.
Related videos:
Filed under: