,,iii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #cfe  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,february 
#bg1 #bjad ,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 
,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,cruz1  
and ,mr4 ,nelson7 submitted the         
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,foreign          
,relations  ,,resolution  ,deploring the
 violent repression of peaceful         
demonstrators in ,venezuela1 calling for
 full accountability for human rights   
violations taking place in ,venezuela1  
and supporting the right of the         
,venezuelan people to the free and      
peaceful exercise of representative     
democracy4  ,whereas the ,government of 
,venezuela's chronic mismanagement of   
its economy has produced inflation that 
exceeds #ej percent annually1 currency  
shortages1 economic distortions1 and the
 routine absence of basic goods and     
foodstuffs2 ,whereas the ,government of 
,venezuela's failure to guarantee       
minimal standards of public security for

 its citizens has led the country to    
become one of the most violent in the   
world1 with the per capita homicide rate
 in the city of ,caracas exceeding #aae 
per #ajj1jjj people2 ,whereas the       
,government of ,venezuela has taken     
continued steps to remove checks and    
balances on the executive1 politicize   
the judiciary1 undermine the            
independence of the legislature through 
use of executive decree powers1         
persecute and prosecute its political   
opponents1 curtail freedom of the press1
 and limit the free expression of its   
citizens2 ,whereas1 on ,january #bc1    
#bjad1 ,national ,representative ,maria 
,corina ,machado and ,mr4 ,leopoldo     
,lpez1 leader of the political party    
,popular ,will1 among others1 called on 
the ,venezuelan people to gather in     
street assemblies and debate a popular1 
democratic and constitutional way out of
 ,venezuela's crisis of governability2  
,whereas1 since ,february #d1 #bjad1 the
 people of ,venezuela--responding to    

ongoing economic hardship1 high levels  
of crime and violence1 and the lack of  
basic political rights and individual   
freedoms--have turned out in            
demonstrations in ,caracas and          
throughout the country to protest the   
,government of ,venezuela's inability to
 ensure the political and economic      
well-being of its citizens2 ,whereas the
 government of ,nicolas ,maduro         
responded to the mass demonstrations by 
ordering the arrest without evidence of 
senior opposition leaders1 including    
,mr4 ,leopoldo ,lopez1 ,carlos ,vecchio1
 and ,antonio ,rivero1 and by violently 
repressing peaceful demonstrators with  
the help of the ,venezuelan ,national   
,guard and groups of armed1             
government-affiliated civilians1 known  
as collectives2 ,whereas1 on ,february  
#ah1 #bjad1 opposition leader ,leopoldo 
,lopez turned himself in to authorities 
in ,venezuela1 was arrested1 and charged
 unjustly with criminal incitement1     
conspiracy1 arson1 and intent to damage 

property2 ,whereas the ,maduro          
government has sought to censor         
information about the demonstrations and
 the government's violent crackdown by  
blocking online images and threatening  
the few remaining uncensored domestic   
media outlets2 ,whereas ,president      
,maduro threatened to expel the ,united 
,states news network ,,cnn from         
,venezuela and has taken off the air the
 ,colombian news channel ,,ntn #bd1     
which transmits in ,venezuela1 after    
news outlets reported on the nationwide 
protests2 ,whereas the ,inter-,american 
,commission on ,human ,rights released a
 statement on ,february #ad1 #bjad1     
which expresses its concern over the    
serious incidents of violence that have 
taken place in the context of protest   
demonstrations in ,venezuela1 as well as
 other complaints concerning acts of    
censorship against media outlets1       
attacks on organizations that defend    
human rights1 and acts of alleged       
political persecution2 and ,whereas1 as 

of ,february #bg1 #bjad1 there have been
 #ac people killed1 over #ajj injured1  
and dozens have been unjustly detained  
due to pro-democracy demonstrations     
throughout ,venezuela3 ,now1 therefore1 
be it  ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7         
reaffirms ,united ,states support for   
the people of ,venezuela in their       
pursuit of the free exercise of         
representative democracy as guaranteed  
by the ,venezuelan constitution and     
defined under the ,inter-,american      
,democratic ,charter of the             
,organization of ,american ,states2     
7#b7 deplores the use of excessive and  
unlawful force against peaceful         
demonstrators in ,venezuela and the     
inexcusable use of violence and         
politically motivated criminal charges  
to intimidate the country's political   
opposition2  7#c7 calls on the          
,government of ,venezuela to disarm and 
dismantle the system of colectivos or   
collectives and any other               
government-affiliated or supported      

militias or vigilante groups2  7#d7     
calls on the ,government of ,venezuela  
to allow an impartial1 third-party      
investigation into the excessive and    
unlawful force against peaceful         
demonstrations on multiple occasions    
since ,february #d1 #bjad2  7#e7 urges  
the ,president to immediately impose    
targeted sanctions1 including visa bans 
and asset freezes1 against individuals  
planning1 facilitating1 or perpetrating 
gross human rights violations against   
peaceful demonstrators1 journalists1 and
 other members of civil society in      
,venezuela2 and  7#f7 calls for the     
,united ,states ,government to work with
 other countries in the hemisphere to   
actively encourage a process of dialogue
 between the ,government of ,venezuela  
and the political opposition through the
 good offices of the ,organization of   
,american ,states so that the voices of 
all ,venezuelans can be taken into      
account through their country's         
constitutional institutions as well as  

free and fair elections4