Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014
The Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (S. 2142) is a United States law used to impose targeted sanctions on certain individuals in Venezuela that were responsible for violations of human rights of antigovernment protesters during the 2014 Venezuelan protests.[1] The law is also used to strengthen civil society in Venezuela, and for other purposes.[4] On February 2, 2015, the United States Department of State imposed visa restrictions on current and former Venezuelan officials that were allegedly linked to presumed human rights abuses and political corruption.[5] The visa restrictions also included family members of those involved in the allegations, with the Department of State saying, "We are sending a clear message that human rights abusers, those who profit from public corruption, and their families are not welcome in the United States".[5] On 9 March 2015, Obama ordered the United States Department of the Treasury to freeze property and assets of the following individuals:[6][7]