[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 1, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H2788]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      ONGOING CRISIS IN VENEZUELA

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, the United States must stand in 
solidarity with human rights in Venezuela and against the repressive 
actions of Maduro. Since protest began almost 2 months ago, there have 
been nearly 40 killed at the hands of this brutal regime.
  At the Organization of American States here in Washington, DC, 
opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was prevented from speaking the 
truth about the democracy crisis in Venezuela. And as a result of her 
appearance at the OAS, Maduro's top henchman, Diosdado Cabello, 
stripped her of her position in the Venezuelan legislature. The highest 
kangaroo court backed this attempt to silence dissent, proving that it, 
too, is nothing more than a political tool used by Maduro to attack the 
opposition.
  Today, Maria Corina, joined by thousands of supporters of democracy, 
marched to protest this politically motivated act, but were met with 
tear gas from Maduro's security thugs.
  These actions must not go unpunished. It is shameful that the Obama 
administration continues to neglect the suffering of the Venezuelan 
people. The time to sanction human rights violators in Venezuela is 
now.

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