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President Obama plans to sign legislation that would impose sanctions on Venezuelan government officials found to have violated protesters' rights during demonstrations earlier this year, the White House said on Thursday (December 11).
The measure would deny visas and freeze assets of officials involved in what the law considers a crackdown on political opponents during three months of street protests in Venezuela over crime and the economy that left 43 dead.
"We have not, and will not, remain silent in the face of Venezuelan government actions that violate human rights and fundamental freedoms and deviate from well-established democratic norms," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the legislation after the Senate passed it on Monday. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama plans to sign it into law.
