,,iii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #ce  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of
 ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,february #a1 
#bjag ,mr4 ,cardin 7for himself1 ,mr4   
,rubio1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,cotton1 ,mr4
 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,blunt1 ,mr4 ,nelson1  
,mr4 ,gardner1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 and ,mr4    
,perdue7 submitted the following        
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,relations       
,,resolution  ,expressing profound      
concern about the ongoing political1    
economic1 social and humanitarian crisis
 in ,venezuela1 urging the release of   
political prisoners1 and calling for    
respect of constitutional and democratic
 processes1 including free and fair     
elections4  ,whereas the deterioration  
of basic governance and the economic    
crisis in ,venezuela have led to an     
unprecedented humanitarian situation in 
which people are suffering from severe  
shortages of essential medicines and    
basic food products2 ,whereas ,venezuela
 lacks more than #hj percent of the     

basic medical supplies and equipment    
needed to treat its population1         
including medicine to treat chronic     
illnesses and cancer as well as basic   
antibiotics1 and #he percent of         
pharmacies are at risk of bankruptcy1   
according to the ,venezuelan            
,pharmaceutical ,federation2 ,whereas1  
despite the massive shortages of basic  
foodstuffs and essential medicines1     
,president of ,venezuela ,nicolas       
,maduro has rejected repeated requests  
from civil society organizations to     
bring humanitarian aid into the country2
 ,whereas the ,international ,monetary  
,fund assesses that1 in ,venezuela1     
gross domestic product will contract #aj
 percent and inflation will exceed #gjj 
percent in #bjaf1 accelerating to over  
#a1fjj percent in #bjag1 the worst      
anticipated growth and inflation        
performance in the world2 ,whereas      
,venezuela's political1 economic1 and   
humanitarian crisis is fueling social   
tensions that are resulting in growing  

incidents of public unrest1 looting1    
violence among citizens1 and an exodus  
of ,venezuelans abroad2 ,whereas        
,caracas continues to have the highest  
per capita homicide rate in the world at
 #abj per #ajj1jjj citizens1 according  
to the ,united ,nations ,office on ,drug
 and ,crime2 ,whereas the deterioration 
of governance in ,venezuela has been    
exacerbated by widespread public        
corruption and the involvement of public
 officials in illicit narcotics         
trafficking and related money           
laundering2 ,whereas1 on ,august #a1    
#bjaf1 ,general ,nestor ,reverol1       
,venezuela's current ,minister of       
,interior and former ,national ,guard   
commander1 was indicted in the ,united  
,states for participating in an         
international cocaine trafficking       
conspiracy2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ah1 
#bjaf1 ,franqui ,francisco ,flores de   
,freitas and ,efrain ,antonio ,campo    
,flores1 nephews of ,president ,maduro  
and ,venezuelan ,first ,lady ,cilia     

,flores1 were convicted by a ,united    
,states ,federal jury on charges of     
conspiring to import cocaine into the   
,united ,states2 ,whereas international 
and domestic human rights groups1 such  
as ,venezuelan organization ,foro       
,penal1 recognize more than #ajj        
political prisoners in ,venezuela1      
including opposition leader and former  
,chacao mayor ,leopoldo ,lopez1 ,judge  
,maria ,lourdes ,afiuni1 ,caracas ,mayor
 ,antonio ,ledezma1 and former ,san     
,cristobal mayor ,daniel ,ceballos2     
,whereas the #aiii ,constitution of the 
,bolivarian ,republic of ,venezuela     
serves as the foundation for political  
processes in ,venezuela2 ,whereas1 in   
,december #bjae1 the people of          
,venezuela elected the opposition       
coalition 7,mesa de ,unidad ,democrtica7
 to a two-thirds majority in the        
unicameral ,national ,assembly1 with    
#aab out of the #afg seats2 ,whereas1 in
 late ,december #bjae1 the outgoing     
,national ,assembly confirmed to the    

,supreme ,court of ,venezuela           
magistrates politically aligned with the
 ,maduro ,administration and1           
thereafter1 the ,supreme ,court blocked 
four legislators1 including #c          
opposition legislators1 from taking     
office2 ,whereas1 during the first year 
of the new legislature1 the ,supreme    
,court has repeatedly overturned        
legislation passed by the democratically
 elected ,national ,assembly2 ,whereas1 
in #bjaf1 ,president ,maduro has        
utilized emergency and legislative      
decree powers to bypass the ,national   
,assembly1 which1 alongside the actions 
of the ,supreme ,court1 have severely   
undermined the principles of separation 
of powers in ,venezuela2 ,whereas1 in   
,may #bjaf1 ,organization of ,american  
,states ,secretary ,general ,luis       
,almagro presented a #acb-page report   
outlining grave alterations of the      
democratic order in ,venezuela and      
invoked ,article #bj of the             
,inter-,american ,democratic ,charter1  

which calls on the ,,oas ,permanent     
,council to undertake a collective      
assessment of the situation2 ,whereas1  
in late ,october #bjaf1 ,venezuela's    
state courts and ,national ,electoral   
,council1 which are comprised of        
political allies of ,president ,maduro1 
halted efforts to hold a referendum     
pursuant to provisions of the           
,venezuelan constitution to recall      
,president ,maduro1 thereby denying the 
,venezuelan people the ability to pursue
 a democratic solution to ,venezuela's  
crisis2 and ,whereas1 in ,november      
#bjaf1 sectors of the opposition and the
 ,government of ,venezuela initiated a  
dialogue1 facilitated by the ,vatican1  
in an effort to pursue a negotiated     
solution to the country's political1    
economic1 social1 and humanitarian      
crisis3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that   
the ,senate-- 7#a7 expresses its        
profound concern about widespread       
shortages of essential medicines and    
basic food products faced by the people 

of ,venezuela1 and urges ,president     
,maduro to permit the delivery of       
humanitarian assistance2  7#b7 calls on 
the ,government of ,venezuela to        
immediately release all political       
prisoners and to respect internationally
 recognized human rights2  7#c7 supports
 meaningful efforts towards a dialogue  
that leads to respect for ,venezuela's  
constitutional mechanisms and resolves  
the country's political1 economic1      
social1 and humanitarian crisis2  7#d7  
affirms its support for ,,oas ,secretary
 ,general ,almagro's invocation of      
,article #bj of the ,inter-,american    
,democratic ,charter and urges the ,,oas
 ,permanent ,council1 which represents  
all of the organization's member states1
 to undertake a collective assessment of
 the constitutional and democratic order
 in ,venezuela2  7#e7 calls on the      
,government of ,venezuela to ensure the 
neutrality and professionalism of all   
security forces and to respect the      
,venezuelan people's rights to freedom  

of expression and assembly2  7#f7 calls 
on the ,government of ,venezuela to halt
 its efforts to undermine the principle 
of separation of powers1 its            
circumvention of the democratically     
elected legislature1 and its subjugation
 of judicial independence2  7#g7        
stresses the urgency of strengthening   
the rule of law and increasing efforts  
to combat impunity and public corruption
 in ,venezuela1 which has bankrupted a  
resource-rich country1 fuels rising     
social tensions1 and contributes to     
elevated levels of crime and violence2  
and  7#h7 urges the ,president of the   
,united ,states to provide full support 
for ,,oas efforts in favor of           
constitutional and democratic solutions 
to the political impasse1 and to        
instruct appropriate ,federal agencies  
to hold officials of the ,government of 
,venezuela accountable for violations of
 ,united ,states law and abuses of      
internationally recognized human rights4