US accuses Maduro of committing “crimes against humanity” in Venezuela

Juan Cruz, President Donal Trump’s chief advisor to Latin America, warned that the United States plans to increase sanctions against the Government of Venezuela

Washington – The US accused Friday the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of committing “crimes against humanity” by “starving his own people” as the “Pol Pot regime” in Cambodia did in the 1990s. 1970, and warned that Washington “has no limits” in its response and plans to increase its sanctions.

“I’m tempted to compare them to the Pol Pot regime, and not in the genocide aspect, that would be a hyperbole,” said Juan Cruz, Donald Trump’s chief adviser to Latin America at an event in the Council of the Americas in Washington, reviewed Efe.

“Let’s talk better in terms of how they are starving their own people and how they use food for political manipulation, it’s disgusting, if that’s not crimes against humanity, I do not know what it is, and the world will hold them to account “he added.

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, denounced a year ago that in Venezuela crimes “against humanity” were being committed, and called a series of hearings to examine that possibility.

But until now, Trump’s government had not explicitly denounced the existence of such crimes, and it did so four days before the expected presentation of a report prepared by experts from the OAS with the objective of determining if there is a basis to denounce Venezuela before the tribunal of The Hague.

Cruz also warned that the “options” of the United States to respond to Maduro’s government “have no limits.” “We will continue to press for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela, and we will try to find ways to bring food aid to that country, despite the regime’s constant resistance to accepting that they need food and their rejection of all offers of humanitarian aid,” said the senior official.

“We will continue to punish those we need to punish, especially at the highest level, and those who are robbing the Venezuelan people and deciding to fill their pockets and enrich their henchmen instead of using that money to buy food,” he added.

In that sense, he said that the White House is considering “individual sanctions and sectors”, even those that may affect “oil”, although it will do so “very carefully”, without forgetting “the effect this may have on the people Venezuelan”.

“We have not ruled out any option,” said Cruz, who said that “it is not true” that Washington has already exhausted all possible measures to respond to Caracas.

“We will be as creative as we have to be, we want to make the world smaller for those who steal money (…) and we are working with other countries to make the world smaller and smaller for the Venezuelan regime and those who They support Maduro, “he said.

Cruz also recalled that there is little left for the 70th General Assembly of the OAS, which will be held on June 4 and 5 in Washington. “This is an opportunity to see who is on the side of democracy, humanity and decency, and which country decides to support the deceptions, lies and those who starve the people of Venezuela themselves. We will be watching and we will take note”, alerted.