MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

European Parliament urges sanctions on Venezuela to remain until verifiable democratic progress

The immediate trigger for the resolution was Delcy Rodríguez's decision, announced on April 23, to end the Law of Amnesty

The European Parliament approved on Thursday, by a wide majority, a resolution urging the Council of the European Union not to lift sanctions imposed on those responsible for human rights violations in Venezuela until the country adopts “significant measures toward a peaceful transition to democracy.” The text, promoted by the European People's Party, gained 507 votes in favor, 31 against, and 35 abstentions, and was backed even by the Socialists and Democrats group despite internal divergences over the strategy toward the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez.

Among the conditions the European Parliament sets for the lifting of sanctions are the unconditional release of all political prisoners, the withdrawal and cancellation of politically motivated charges against the democratic opposition, and the establishment of a credible roadmap for free and fair elections. Members of the European Parliament lament that at least 470 people remain arbitrarily detained in inhumane conditions and call for the reform of judicial, police, and electoral institutions, as well as the closure of facilities used for arbitrary detention, mistreatment, and torture.

The immediate trigger for the resolution was Delcy Rodríguez's decision, announced on April 23, to end the Law of Amnesty for Democratic Coexistence that the Venezuelan National Assembly had approved on February 19. The Parliament condemns that the law's “premature repeal, its limited scope, the lack of independent oversight, and its discriminatory application” failed to lay the groundwork for political reconciliation. The resolution also stresses that “the amnesty law must under no circumstances be applied to protect those responsible for human rights violations, who must be held fully accountable.”

The vote complicates the plans of the Spanish government, which has proposed the gradual lifting of sanctions against Rodríguez and has invited her to the Ibero-American Summit scheduled for November 4 and 5 in Madrid. Rodríguez has been subject since 2018 to EU sanctions that bar her from entering European territory, save for occasional exceptions. European Popular Party Secretary General and PP Member of the European Parliament Dolors Montserrat defended the resolution and criticized Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares for promoting a relaxation of the sanctions regime. “Those who whitewash tyrants should not sit at Europe's table,” Montserrat said.

Amendments submitted by the Socialists and Greens to include an explicit condemnation of US “military interference” in Venezuela and a gradual lifting of European sanctions did not obtain a majority. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) explained in a statement that it voted in favor of the final text despite its amendments not being approved, considering that the resolution includes a “firm call for respect for international law.” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas had proposed in February lifting sanctions against Rodríguez, in line with the Spanish position, without the Council having yet taken a decision on the matter.