WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), issued a bipartisan statement on the situation in Venezuela as the Maduro regime continues to repress the leading Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado ahead of presidential elections in Venezuela, and as serious concerns about the legitimacy and integrity of the upcoming electoral process remain.
“The Maduro regime has disregarded the Barbados Agreement and shown the world it will stop at nothing to undermine its opponent, María Corina Machado,” said the Senators. “Machado is up against a narco-regime that holds on to power by repressing and censoring the people of Venezuela. Any attack against Machado’s integrity, including arbitrary arrests, must be met with an international response. Let there be no doubt, the upcoming elections will not be free, fair, nor democratic and both the Biden Administration and the international community must hold Maduro accountable. The recent move to pass Venezuela’s so-called anti-fascism law is further proof that civil society, political opposition, and freedom of the press have no place in Venezuela. The United States must follow through with the public parameters it laid out under the Barbados Agreement, as well as consider individual sanctions for those directly responsible for the repressive actions against political candidates, business leaders, and campaign officials. As the Venezuelan dictatorship seeks to prolong its illegitimate grip on power, the United States and the international community must respond swiftly and hold the regime accountable.”
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