WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL09), joined 19 of his House colleagues on a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew, asking them “to take immediate action and sanction those individuals involved” in the sentencing of Venezuelan pro-democracy leader Leopoldo Lopez to over 13 years in prison. The full text of the letter follows this release; a copy of the signed letter is attached.
“Over the past 50 years, we’ve seen most of Central and South America change from totalitarian governments to democracies,” Congressman Grayson said. “Venezuela is taking a huge step backwards by imprisoning Leopoldo Lopez on these trumped-up charges.”
The letter, signed by 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, specifically asks the two secretaries to “consider sanctioning the following authorities of the Venezuelan legal system who are directly involved in this decision:
• Luisa Ortega Díaz – Attorney General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
• General Wilman Hernandez Aquino – Head of Investigations of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DIM)
• Susana Barreiros Rodríguez – Judge of the 28th Trial Circuit Court of Caracas
• Narda Sanabria Bernatte – Attorney of the Public Ministry of Venezuela
• Franklin Nieves Capace – Attorney of the Public Ministry of Venezuela.”
“The right to free speech is the most basic human right we have,” Congressman Grayson added. “This clearly unjust action demands a strong and swift response from the US government.”
Congressman Grayson has long been an advocate for improved human rights in Venezuela. In April, he sent a letter calling on the Obama administration to provide Temporary Protected Status to thousands of Venezuelans in the United States, which would prevent them from being forced to return to the country during its current political turmoil. Last year, the Congressman was a co-sponsor of the Venezuelan Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, which supported democracy in Venezuela and sought to hold the Maduro Regime accountable for its human rights violations.
Congressman Alan Grayson represents Florida’s 9th Congressional District, which includes Osceola County, as well as parts of Orange and Polk counties.
