Venezuela approves prison for anyone who supports US blockade

“Any person who promotes, incites, requests, invokes, favors, facilitates, supports, finances or participates in acts of piracy, blockade or other international illicit acts against legal entities that do business with the Republic and its entities by foreign States, powers, companies or individuals will be punished with a prison sentence of 15 to 20 years”, states Article 13 of the law.

The law also establishes fines in bolivars (the local currency) “equivalent to between 100 thousand and 1 million times the highest exchange rate” in the country, which currently corresponds to the euro exchange rate published daily by the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV).

Those sanctioned may also be subject to confiscation of assets by the Chavista regime, since the so-called Property Extinction Law may also be applied.

Last Tuesday (16), the President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced a total blockade of sanctioned oil tankers arriving in Venezuela or leaving the South American country.

Before the announcement, on December 10, Washington had seized the oil tanker Skipper. On Saturday (20), the US Coast Guard intercepted the oil tanker Centuries, also in international waters near the coast of Venezuela.

According to information from international agencies, the Coast Guard is also searching for the oil tanker Bella 1, which was sailing towards Venezuela to load oil.