FIVE YEARS OF THE BLOCKADE www.sures.org.ve
suresddhh@gmail.com
@suresDDHH
FEBRUARY 2020
Statement by the US State Department January 9th, 2018
“The pressure campaign against Venezuela is working. The financial sanctions that we have imposed (...) have forced the Government to start falling into default, both in sovereign and PDVSA's debt… And what we are seeing (...) is a total economic collapse in Venezuela. Then our policy works, our strategy works and we will keep it”.
“We must treat this as an agony, a tragedy that will continue until it finally reaches an end (...) and if we can do something to accelerate it, we must do it, but we must do it with the understanding that this will have an impact on millions of people who they are already having difficulties in finding food and medicine (‌) We cannot do this and pretend that it will not have an impact. We have to make a hard decision, the desired end justifies this severe punishmentâ€?.
Statement by the US State Department. January 9th, 2018
KEY FEATURES OF THE BLOCKADE
ILLEGAL IMMORAL UNJUST
WHEN DID THE BLOCKADE BEGAN AND WHAT IT ENTAILS
2014
THE US CONGRESS ADOPTED ACT 113-278 IN DECEMBER 2014:
Prohibits US citizens and any other persons under US jurisdiction (private companies, civil society organizations, charitable institutions, among others) any type of economic transaction with the Venezuelan State. It provides “severe sanctions� to those who break the prohibition.
It establishes specific prohibitions and restrictions to:
THE US CONGRESS ADOPTED ACT 113-278 IN DECEMBER 2014:
Central Bank of Venezuela: Maximum authority for State monetary policies. Petrรณleos de Venezuela S. A. (PDVSA): Main State company with the monopoly of the exploitation of entire Nation's oil and generate more than 95% of foreign revenues.
ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL BLOCKADE STRATEGIES 72 UCM FORMALS: Acts, laws, statues, decrees and judicial acts. UCM NON-FORMALS: De facto actions, negative reports, country risk reports, trade routes blocked, threats to States and companies, among others.
60
NUMBER/COUNTRIES AND GROUPS THAT ISSUED THE UNILATERAL COERCIVE MEASURRES
54 54
40
20 5
2
2
5
1
2
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Eu
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0
MEASSURING THE RANGE OF PREASURE 60
52
40
20 2
0
OBAMA
TRUMP
Executive Order Nº. 13692-2015: Venezuela as an "unusual and extraordinary threat to US national security and its foreign policy”.
Executive Order Nº. 13808-2017:
Executive Order Nº. 13835-2018: Against accounts receivable and other operations in Venezuela.
Executive Order Nº. 13850-2018: Against the commercialization operations of the Venezuelan gold.
Prohibits the international financial system from participating in any debt purchase, sale, negotiation or renegotiation operation.
Executive Order Nº. 13857-2019:
Executive Order Nº. 13827-2018:
Executive Order Nº. 13884-2019:
Gagainst the Petro cryptocurrency.
Decreed the general blockade of all properties of the Venezuelan State in the USA.
Establishing the blockade of PDVSA assets (CITGO) in the US.
150
135
THE SCOPE OF MEASUREMENTS TAKEN AGAINST: 117
100 52
50
0
33
PERSONS
BUSINESS
SHIPS
AIRCRAFT
IIMPACT OF THE ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL BLOCKADE AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA
CITGO CASE 95% OF CURRENCY REQUIRED FOR SOCIAL INVESTMENT DEPENDS ON OIL PRODUCTION AND EXPORT
2016-2019 Venezuela has not been able to receive the profits of Citgo Petroleum Corporation, owned by the Venezuelan State. It is a PDVSA subsidiary based in the United States. In 2019 US appropriates this company handing it over to people designated by Deputy Juan Guaidรณ (3 refineries, 6,000 service stations and 48 storage and distribution terminals). Losses of $ 11,000,000,000 of CITGO due to oil embargo and $ 7,000,000,000 illegal appropriation of its assets are recorded.
VARIATION ON THE OIL PRODUCTION DUE TO THE ECONOMIC BLOCKADE (Mill USD)
FOREING EXCHANGE REVENUE. CURRENCY SALES OF PDVSA TO CBV (MILL USD) Source: Venezuela in number, MPPPD, 2018.
50.000
42690
40.000
38109
30.000 20.000 10634
10.000 0
2013
2014
2015
4650
5198
4088
2016
2017
2018
For weighing the impact of 2014 economic blockade in the access of food and medicine, we use the information published by the MIT Global Economic Observatory, which reported by that time that Venezuela imported:
MEDICINE 34% from USA 7% from Spain 5% from Italy
FOOD 33% from USA 12% from Canada
THE BLOCKADE VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHT TO HEALTH Denial and obstruction of payment to access raw materials, medicines, medical equipment and health agreements. Citibank in 2017 refused to receive a transfer for the import of 300,000 doses of insulin for people with diabetes. 2018 and 2019 Novo Banco appropriated resources for bone marrow transplant for Venezuelan patients in Italy. 2019 the government of Spain blocked the shipment of 200,000 units of medicines for chronic diseases. THE BLOCKADE OF PAYMENT FOR USD 40,000,000 OF ELECTRICITY TO BRAZIL IS EQUIVALENT OF 2Â YEAR TREATMENT AND PREVENTION FOR MORE THAN 80,000 HIV PATIENTS.
THE BLOCKADE VIOLATES THE RIGHT TO FOOD Attacks to the Local Committees of Supply and Production (CLAP for its Spanish name). In 2018 Colombia blocked the shipment of 400 thousand kilos of food for CLAP. In 2018, 104 million euros were retained in the international financial system for payment to suppliers of CLAP. 2019 ships and shipping companies are sanctioned. Legal proceedings to companies in Mexico. 1,200 MILLION USD IN GOLD RETAINED BY THE ENGLAND BANK IS THE EQUIVALENT OF 6 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVING CLAP FOR 6 MONTHS.
FOOD IMPORT GRAPHIC (Mill USD)
Source: Venezuela en number, MPPPD, 2018.
THE BLOCKADE PRODUCE HUMAN MOBILITY Alteration in people’s daily life
1. Patients in treatment for chronic diseases 2. Transport system: producing internal mobility 3. Acquisition of basic consumer goods.
IMPACT ON EMIGRATION
GENERAL DATA OF THE IMPACT2014-2020
THERE ARE RESOURCES FOR ADQUIRING FOOD AND MEDICINE, RAW MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE INDUSTRY.
THE BLOCKADE IS PROFITABLE For the Governments that seize assets. For the financial institutions and banks that retain and appropriate the money. For the private companies that appropriate the money from commercial transactions. For the black market and monopolies.
OPINIONS FROM THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM
Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights Idriss Jazairy
“Sanctions would aggravate the situation of Venezuelan people, whom already are suffering the effects of a devastating inflation and lack of adequate food and medicines�.
Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Idriss Jazairy The use of humanitarian aid as a weapon is another surprising aspect of this economic war. Attempts to use humanitarian supplies to exacerbate tensions in Venezuela and, ultimately, cause a regime change fall within the definition of "unilateral coercive measures", according to resolution 27/21of the Human Rights Council.
Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred de Zayas “The UCM have aggravated directly and indirectly the shortage of medicines, such as insulin and antiretrovirals, which has caused delays in their distribution and caused worsening, in numerous cases of death, which constitute the consummation of crimes against humanity�.
High Commissioner for the Human Rights “Sanctions affect the most vulnerable and do not contain sufficient measures to mitigate the impact on the population�.
THE BLOCKADE AS CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY Article 7 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court: Systematic: obeys a plan Generalized: directed to cause suffering, hunger and affect the
health of people Intentional: there is knowledge of the attack
THE BOCKADE HAS NOT PRODUCED The demobilization of the organized people that has fought against intervention strategies. The subordination of the Venezuelan State to foreign interests. The change of the inclusive democracy model of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. A complex humanitarian crisis
www.sures.org.ve suresddhh@gmail.com @suresDDHH