Venezuela

• Saturday, March 20th 2021 - 09:17 UTC

  Venezuelans agree to purchase US$ 30 million in Covax vaccines; Guaidó will ask US for funds to be unfrozen

  

  As part of a rare deal between Venezuela’s government and the opposition, some US$ 30.3 million of the country’s offshore funds that were frozen under U.S. sanctions will be used to pay for coronavirus vaccines.

• Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:51 UTC

  UN human rights investigating the “La Vega massacre” in Caracas by Maduro police forces

  

  United Nations human rights are looking into allegations that Venezuelan police forces from president Nicolas Maduro's regime had killed 200 people this year and investigators raised concerns about possible summary executions in a neighborhood of Caracas.

• Tuesday, March 9th 2021 - 09:51 UTC

  Biden granting temporary protection status to Venezuelans in US, and in no rush to lift sanctions on Maduro's regime

  

  The Joe Biden’s administration is granting temporary protected status to Venezuelans living in the United States and is also working to coordinate international pressure against president Nicolas Maduro to hold free and fair elections, senior U.S. officials said on Monday.

• Monday, March 8th 2021 - 08:35 UTC

  Maduro and wife Cilia Flores receive first doses of Sputnik vaccine, as shown by state television

  

  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores have received their first doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Venezuelan state television reported, while the country received a second shipment of the vaccine.

• Thursday, March 4th 2021 - 08:41 UTC

  Venezuela's Guaidó willing to support an independent new electoral council

  

  Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Wednesday that he would support naming a new electoral council but cautioned its members should not be chosen unilaterally by the National Assembly currently held by the ruling socialist party of President Nicolas Maduro.

• Tuesday, March 2nd 2021 - 08:53 UTC

  Venezuela has 323 “political detainees” in jail, mostly awaiting trial

  

  Venezuela’s Penal Forum estimates that Nearly three-quarters of all political detainees are awaiting trial for more than two years, the group said on Monday, arguing it is a sign that authorities use pretrial detention as a punishment.

• Monday, March 1st 2021 - 08:59 UTC

  The Biden administration has no immediate plans to review sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba

  

  The new administration of president Joe Biden is in “no rush” to lift U.S. sanctions on Venezuela but would consider easing them if President Nicolas Maduro takes confidence-building steps showing he is ready to negotiate seriously with the opposition, according to White House sources.

• Friday, February 26th 2021 - 12:01 UTC

  EU declares Venezuela ambassador persona non grata and expels her

  

  The European Union has declared Venezuela's ambassador in Brussels as a “persona non grata” in a tit-for-tat diplomatic move. A EU statement said member states had agreed that Venezuela's ambassador would no longer be welcome as an envoy to the bloc.

• Thursday, February 25th 2021 - 10:05 UTC

  Venezuela declares EU's head of delegation persona non grata and gives her 72 hours to leave the country

  

  Venezuela announced on Wednesday that the head of the European Union's delegation in Caracas had 72 hours to leave the country and declared her persona non grata after the bloc imposed new sanctions on Venezuelan officials this week.

• Tuesday, February 23rd 2021 - 09:25 UTC

  Maduro complains sanctions are hurting Venezuela's ability to fight the pandemic and consequences

  

  Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Monday denounced international sanctions against his country, saying they have limited the government’s ability to fight the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis. European Union foreign ministers on Monday imposed new sanctions on 19 leading Venezuelan officials.