US Sanctions 13 Venezuelan Gov't Officials, Ready to Impose New Measures

The United States sanctioned 13 Venezuelan government and military current officials, the US Department of the Treasury announced on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The 13 officials are listed on Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions website. The Constituent Assembly, when elected, will have the power to draft a new version of constitution. The opposition believes that the decision to convene the assembly should have been taken via a referendum rather than a decree.

Moreover, anyone who joins Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s National Constituent Assembly, the body set to change the country’s constitution, could be subject to US sanctions, a senior US administration official told reporters on Wednesday.

"Anyone who decides to join the National Constituent Assembly should know that their role in undermining democratic processes and institutions in Venezuela could expose them to US sanctions," the official stated.

Since early April, Venezuela saw mass protests after the decision of the Supreme Court to take over legislative powers from the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The top court reversed the ruling but the step did not stop the mass demonstrations.

The opposition is staging a 48-hour strike that will last through Thursday and aims to prevent the government from pressing forward with the Sunday vote. The protests have been ongoing in Venezuela since April, when the country's top court attempted to curb the powers of the National Assembly.