WASHINGTON — The Trump administration imposed sanctions Thursday on eight more individuals in Venezuela, including the brother of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, in the latest U.S. bid to try to deter further democratic backsliding in the South American country.

The penalties focus on current or former Venezuelan government officials accused by the U.S. of supporting President Nicolas Maduro's creation of a constituent assembly. That body has been given the job of rewriting Venezuela's constitution, in what the United States has said was an attempt by Maduro to solidify his hold on power.

The assembly, formed by a July 30 election, has declared itself superior to all other government institutions and has ousted Venezuela's outspoken chief prosecutor.

"President Maduro swore in this illegitimate constituent assembly to further entrench his dictatorship, and continues to tighten his grip on the country," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Many of those targeted by the U.S. are regional representatives on the new assembly, including Adan Chavez, the brother of Venezuela's former leader, who died in 2013. Adan Chavez has been appointed secretary of the new assembly and also is a former governor and minister in Venezuela's government.

The sanctions freeze any assets the individuals may have in the U.S. and prevent Americans from doing business with the Venezuelans.

The U.S. has said the vote to create the assembly was illegitimate and a sign that Maduro is trying to strengthen what the U.S. calls his "dictatorship."

Last week, the U.S. targeted Maduro with sanctions, in a rare action against a foreign head of state. Those sanctions followed a previous round, days before the planned vote, that hit 13 current or former top officials in Maduro's government.</s>CARACAS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington imposed sanctions on eight Venezuelan officials on Wednesday for their role in creating an all-powerful legislative body loyal to President Nicolas Maduro, while a mayor-turned-fugitive called for more anti-government protests.

Demonstrators block a street at a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela August 8, 2017. REUTERS/Marco Bello

The new U.S. sanctions targeted politicians and security figures but stopped short of actions against Venezuela’s vital oil industry. Energy sector sanctions, which could cripple Venezuela’s already ailing economy, are still being considered, U.S. officials said.

The sanctions followed Friday’s installation of a legislative superbody known as the constituent assembly, made up entirely of allies of the ruling Socialist Party and armed with the power to re-write the constitution.

The assembly’s first action was to fire Venezuela’s chief prosecutor, who had accused Maduro of human rights abuses, confirming opposition fears that the assembly would purge the government of dissenting voices.

Maduro’s loyalist Supreme Court has, meanwhile, stepped up the prosecution of opposition politicians including Ramon Muchacho, mayor of the wealthy Chacao district of capital city Caracas.

Muchacho appeared in a video shot from a secret location after the court removed him from office and sentenced him to 15 months in prison on Tuesday for failing to halt anti-government protests in his district.

“To all Venezuelans, the message is to continue in this struggle,” said a bearded Muchacho, clad in a white T-shirt emblazoned with the Venezuelan flag and appearing before a plain white backdrop. The video was circulated on social media.

Chacao has been the epicenter of demonstrations against Maduro and Muchacho’s video could help breathe new life into the protest movement. The massive street protests seen before the election of the assembly have lost steam while anti-Maduro activists try to draw up a strategy for the future.

The Supreme Court said on Wednesday via Facebook that it had sentenced David Smolansky of the El Hatillo district of Caracas to 15 months in prison, fired him from his post and ordered his arrest. Smolansky, the fifth mayor to face such sanctions this year, was also accused of defying an order to prevent opposition protests from blocking streets.

FROZEN ASSETS

The sanctions unveiled Wednesday will freeze U.S. assets of the officials targeted, ban them from travel to the United States and prohibit Americans from doing business with them. Among those named was constituent assembly member Adan Chavez, brother of the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

“We absolutely reject this act of aggression by the North American empire, by the government of Washington, and we do not recognize any sanction against the people of Venezuela,” said Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza in a televised broadcast.”

“Venezuela cannot be sanctioned by anything or anyone.”

Washington clamped sanctions on Maduro himself last week following actions against 13 Venezuelan figures last month.

Experts say individual sanctions have had little or no impact on Maduro’s policies and that broader oil-sector and financial sanctions may be the only way to make the Venezuelan government feel economic pain.

More than 125 people have died in violence since the opposition began a sustained wave of protests in April. Met by rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas fired by the National Guard, the protesters say the crisis demands an early presidential election that they are sure Maduro would lose.

His popularity has been pounded lower by triple-digit inflation and acute food and medicine shortages which Maduro blames right-wing conspirators in league with the U.S. “empire”.

The opposition, which gained control of Venezuela’s congress in 2015 only to see its decisions nullified by the Supreme Court, boycotted the July 30 election of the legislative superbody known as the constituent assembly.

Slideshow (5 Images)

Maduro says the 545-member assembly will bring peace and prosperity to Venezuela. Laws passed by the new body will not need approval from Venezuela’s traditional congress, which met on Wednesday to discuss the region’s response to the new body.

In a joint declaration released on Tuesday, countries including Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile and Colombia condemned the “breakdown of democratic order” in Venezuela and said they would not recognize any action taken by its “illegitimate” new constituent assembly.</s>Washington imposed sanctions on eight Venezuelan officials on Wednesday for their role in creating an all-powerful legislative body loyal to President Nicolas Maduro, while a mayor-turned-fugitive called for more anti-government protests.

The new US sanctions targeted politicians and security figures but stopped short of actions against Venezuela's vital oil industry. Energy sector sanctions, which could cripple Venezuela's already ailing economy, are still being considered, US officials said.

The sanctions followed Friday's installation of a legislative superbody known as the constituent assembly, made up entirely of allies of the ruling Socialist Party and armed with the power to re-write the constitution.

The assembly's first action was to fire Venezuela's chief prosecutor, who had accused Maduro of human rights abuses, confirming opposition fears that the assembly would purge the government of dissenting voices.

Maduro's loyalist Supreme Court has, meanwhile, stepped up the prosecution of opposition politicians including Ramon Muchacho, mayor of the wealthy Chacao district of capital city Caracas.

Muchacho appeared in a video shot from a secret location after the court removed him from office and sentenced him to 15 months in prison on Tuesday for failing to halt anti-government protests in his district.

"To all Venezuelans, the message is to continue in this struggle," said a bearded Muchacho, clad in a white T-shirt emblazoned with the Venezuelan flag and appearing before a plain white backdrop. The video was circulated on social media.

Chacao has been the epicenter of demonstrations against Maduro and Muchacho's video could help breathe new life into the protest movement. The massive street protests seen before the election of the assembly have lost steam while anti-Maduro

 activists try to draw up a strategy for the future.

The Supreme Court said on Wednesday via Facebook that it had sentenced David Smolansky of the El Hatillo district of Caracas to 15 months in prison, fired him from his post and ordered his arrest. Smolansky, the fifth mayor to face such sanctions this year, was also accused of defying an order to prevent opposition protests from blocking streets.

The sanctions unveiled Wednesday will freeze US assets of the officials targeted, ban them from travel to the United States and prohibit Americans from doing business with them. Among those named was constituent assembly member Adan Chavez, brother of the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

"We absolutely reject this act of aggression by the North American empire, by the government of Washington, and we do not recognize any sanction against the people of Venezuela," said Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza in a televised broadcast."

"Venezuela cannot be sanctioned by anything or anyone."

Washington clamped sanctions on Maduro himself last week following actions against 13 Venezuelan figures last month.

Experts say individual sanctions have had little or no impact on Maduro's policies and that broader oil-sector and financial sanctions may be the only way to make the Venezuelan government feel economic pain.

More than 125 people have died in violence since the opposition began a sustained wave of protests in April. Met by rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas fired by the National Guard, the protesters say the crisis demands an early presidential election that they are sure Maduro would lose.

His popularity has been pounded lower by triple-digit inflation and acute food and medicine shortages which Maduro blames right-wing conspirators in league with the US "empire".

The opposition, which gained control of Venezuela's congress in 2015 only to see its decisions nullified by the Supreme Court, boycotted the July 30 election of the legislative superbody known as the constituent assembly.

Maduro says the 545-member assembly will bring peace and prosperity to Venezuela. Laws passed by the new body will not need approval from Venezuela's traditional congress, which met on Wednesday to discuss the region's response to the new body.

In a joint declaration released on Tuesday, countries including Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile and Colombia condemned the "breakdown of democratic order" in Venezuela and said they would not recognize any action taken by its

 "illegitimate" new constituent assembly.</s>on eight individuals in Venezuela on Wednesday, citing them for “organizing or otherwise supporting the creation of Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly” and “participating in anti-democratic actions.”

The “Constituent Assembly” is socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro’s sham legislature, whipped up in an effort to disempower what remains of representative government in the country. The assembly was created in a July 30 election deemed illegitimate by the U.S. government and most of the states in the Western Hemisphere.

Maduro himself was hit by sanctions last week, in what the Associated Press describes as “a rare action against a foreign head of state.” This was followed swiftly by a round of sanctions against 13 current and former officials from the Maduro government.

Six of the eight people named in the new sanctions list are members or functionaries of the new Constituent Assembly. One of them, Adán Coromoto Chávez Frías, is the brother of the late Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s mentor.

Also sanctioned were Tania D’Amelio Cardiet, a rector of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, who is believed to be under investigation in Venezuela for vote fraud; and military commander Bladimir Humberto Lugo Armas, who handles security for the original, legitimate National Assembly. Armas does not appear to have much enthusiasm for his job these days, since he stands accused of assaulting several Assembly members who oppose Maduro, including Assembly President Julio Borges.

The Miami Herald notes that one of the sanctioned individuals, Constituent Assembly delegate Hermann Escarra, has owned property in South Florida, as have members of his family. “Escarra himself was spotted at a North Miami Mercedes-Benz dealership in April,” the Herald reports.

Sanctions against Venezuela are still gaining steam. The Herald notes that the Trump administration is threatening to sanction all 545 members of the Constituent Assembly, one of whom is Nicolás Maduro’s wife. Administration officials have said they intend to deploy sanctions slowly, carefully, and “strategically.”

“President Maduro swore in this illegitimate Constituent Assembly to further entrench his dictatorship and continues to tighten his grip on the country. This regime’s disregard for the will of the Venezuelan people is unacceptable, and the United States will stand with them in opposition to tyranny until Venezuela is restored to a peaceful and prosperous democracy,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in announcing the new sanctions.</s>The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against 8 new individuals in Venezuela on Wednesday over their involvement in the creation of the country’s National Constituent Assembly.

Seven of the designated individuals are current or former senior Venezuelan officials and one was otherwise identified by the United States as undermining democracy in the country. Six of the sanctioned Venezuelans played a significant role in organizing or creating the National Constituent Assembly. The brother of socialist leader Hugo Chavez is among the sanctioned officials.

“President Maduro swore in this illegitimate Constituent Assembly to further entrench his dictatorship, and continues to tighten his grip on the country,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement on Wednesday. “This regime’s disregard for the will of the Venezuelan people is unacceptable, and the United States will stand with them in opposition to tyranny until Venezuela is restored to a peaceful and prosperous democracy.”

On Tuesday, the new national assembly, which has the power to rewrite the country’s constitution, declared itself superior to all other branches of government. That means opposition groups are prohibited from acting in a way that interferes with laws it passes.

In the run up to the Venezuelan election of the National Constituent Assembly, orchestrated by President Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration warned it would take “swift” economic action in reaction to what it views as a subversion of democracy in the country. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also reiterated the White House’s stance that anyone elected to, or associated with, the National Constituent Assembly could be at risk of being sanctioned.

The U.S. Treasury has already sanctioned 13 current and former Venezuelan officials and on July 31, it designated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pursuant to the same executive order.</s>The White House announced it imposed sanctions on eight more Venezuelan officials today, including the brother of the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, for undermining democracy in the country.

The US did not impose broader financial or "sectoral" sanctions on the country's key oil industry, though they have said such actions are still under consideration.

The fresh sanctions punish officials by freezing their US assets, banning travel to the US and prohibiting them from doing business with Americans. They were put in place because the officials helped President Nicolas Maduro create a new legislative superbody, US officials said.

Trump's administration has slapped sanctions on Maduro himself and a number of other officials over the past few weeks.

Maduro last week established a new constituent assembly - an all-powerful body run by his socialist party loyalists.

"President Maduro swore in this illegitimate constituent assembly to further entrench his dictatorship," US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

"This regime’s disregard for the will of the Venezuelan people is unacceptable, and the United States will stand with them in opposition to tyranny."

Read more: Corbyn has abandoned the victims of Venezuelan socialism</s>The United States is imposing sanctions on eight more individuals, including the brother of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whom it accuses of undermining democracy in the South American country.

The Treasury Department said seven are current or former Venezuelan government officials. The U.S. says they supported the creation of a constituent assembly that is charged with rewriting Venezuela's constitution and has declared itself superior to all other government institutions.

Chavez's brother Adan — among those targeted — has been appointed secretary of the new assembly.

The U.S. has called the vote to create the assembly illegitimate and a sign that President Nicolas Maduro is trying to strengthen what the U.S. calls his "dictatorship."

The U.S. previously targeted Maduro himself with sanctions, in a rare action against a foreign head of state.</s>WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury threatened on Wednesday to impose sanctions on anyone who joins Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's controversial new congress after an election scheduled for Sunday.

"Anyone elected to the National Constituent Assembly should know that their role in undermining democratic processes and institutions in Venezuela could expose them to potential U.S. sanctions,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement announcing sanctions against 13 current and former Venezuelan officials. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)</s>The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on eight more Venezuelan officials, including the brother of late socialist leader Hugo Chávez, to punish them for their role in President Nicolás Maduro’s creation of a new legislative superbody, US officials said.

The United States targeted individual politicians and security figures but stopped short of placing broader financial or “sectoral” sanctions on its vital oil industry though such actions, the officials told Reuters, are still under consideration.

The new measures announced by the Treasury Department will freeze their US assets, ban them from travel to the United States and prohibit Americans from doing business with them. Washington slapped sanctions on Maduro himself last week following similar action against 13 Venezuelan figures on July 26.

The sanctions marked a further escalation of the US response to Maduro’s establishment last week of the new constituent assembly, an all-powerful body run by his Socialist party loyalists and which has drawn international condemnation.

“President Maduro swore in this illegitimate constituent assembly to further entrench his dictatorship, and continues to tighten his grip on the country,” US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “This regime’s disregard for the will of the Venezuelan people is unacceptable, and the United States will stand with them in opposition to tyranny until Venezuela is restored to a peaceful and prosperous democracy.“

Most prominent among those targeted on Wednesday was Adán Chávez, 64, a physicist and late president Hugo Chavez’s elder brother. He is former culture minister, served for nearly a decade as governor of his home state of Barinas and is now secretary of the new assembly’s presidential commission.

Also facing sanctions was Bladimir Armas, a national guard colonel accused by government critics of human rights abuses.

The latest measures were intended to make good on the Trump administration’s threats to sanction anyone who helped create or joined the new assembly. The US government accused all eight of participating “in actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in Venezuela”.

Donald Trump’s administration is continuing to weigh possible sanctions against more senior figures, including Venezuelan defense minister Vladimir Padrino and Socialist party No 2 Diosdado Cabello, and they could be included in future sanctions packages if Maduro does not change course, the US officials told Reuters.

But experts say individual sanctions, while providing strong symbolism, have had little or no impact on Maduro’s policies.

The United States has held off from imposing broader sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry, mindful of the potential not only for deepening the suffering of the Venezuelan people but also the risk of causing problems for US companies and consumers.</s>U.S. sanctions eight more Venezuelan officials, including Chavez brother

The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on eight more Venezuelan officials, including the brother of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, to punish them for their roles in President Nicolas Maduro’s creation of a new legislative superbody, U.S. officials said, Reuters reported.

The new measures announced by the U.S. Treasury Department will freeze the U.S. assets of the targeted individuals, ban them from travel to the United States and prohibit Americans from doing business with them.

Washington slapped sanctions on Maduro himself last week following similar action against 13 Venezuelan officials on July 26.
The U.S. imposes new sanctions on eight Venezuelan officials, including Secretary of the 2017 Constituent Assembly Adán Chávez - the late President Hugo Chávez's brother, to "deter further democratic backsliding" in the South American country.