Obama to Sign Bill Imposing Sanctions on Venezuelan Officials Over Anti-Government Crackdown

The US Congress unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday that would sanction Venezuelan government officials for human rights violations committed against anti-government protesters this year. White House spokesperson Josh Earnest confirmed on Thursday that President Barack Obama plans to sign the bill into law, but did not specify when that would happen.

Venezuela saw a wave of violent protests between February and May against the government of Nicolas Maduro, who succeeded the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez as president in March 2013. Thousands were jailed, hundreds were left injured, and at least 43 people died during the unrest.

Watch the full length VICE News documentary Venezuela Rising.

The pending US sanctions include freezing Venezuelan officials' US assets, and denying and restricting visas for an unspecified list of Venezuelan officials. President Obama would reserve the right to waive travel restrictions if he considers it to be in the best interest of the country.

President Maduro was quick to criticize the congressional move.

"Who is the US senate to sanction the nation of Bolivar?" Maduro shouted rhetorically on Wednesday during a televised speech. "You are playing with history President Obama."

In late July, the US State Department imposed travel bans on Venezuelan officials "who have been responsible for or complicit in human rights abuses," such as "repeated efforts to repress legitimate expression of dissent through judicial intimidation, to limit freedom of the press, and to silence members of the political opposition."

The US also expressed concern over the lack of due process and access to fair trials for those detained as a result of the Venezuelan protests, blaming Venezuelan authorities for their role in "arbitrary detentions and excessive use of force."

"Those who commit such abuses will not be welcome in the United States," said spokeswoman Marie Harf.

Venezuela is pumping ozone into its Caracas airport and taxing people for breathing it. Read more here.

In a September statement, Harf said at least 70 protesters remain incarcerated more than half a year after the demonstrations spread. Many of them have not yet been formally charged, including opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.

Lopez has spent stints in solitary confinement in a military prison since his February arrest, which Human Rights Watch severely criticized. Two opposition mayors have spent months behind bars, but their seats were quickly filled after their arrest, as both men's wives were overwhelmingly elected to replace their husbands.

Citing local NGOs, Harf said that more than 1,700 Venezuelans are facing charges stemming from the uprising but have not received a court date.

"Nicolas Maduro's intransigent, brutal regime continues to desperately and violently silence dissident voices who believe in freedom, and democracy, and in respect for human rights," said Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on Wednesday at the House of Representatives.

She cited as example the "illegal" removal of Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado this March from her congressional post, after she spoke out against the Venezuelan government before a meeting of the Organization of American States. Machado has been unable to leave the country since June, accused of conspiracy to murder Maduro.

Machado maintains her innocence, and denies any knowledge of the alleged plot.

A contraband crackdown is rattling the border between Colombia and Venezuela. Read more here.

Follow Andrea Noel on Twitter @MetabolizedJunk.