Venezuela enacts anti-piracy legislation and imposes blockades in response to US oil ship seizures

The National Assembly of Venezuela, which is controlled by the ruling party, unanimously enacted a bill on Tuesday that permits anyone who encourages or finances what it defines as piracy or blockades to be imprisoned for up to 20 years.

The measure, which covers “other international crimes,” was enacted in response to recent U.S. moves against oil exports from Venezuela.

U.S. authorities claimed the U.S. Coast Guard tried to stop two other vessels connected to Venezuela over the weekend and captured a sanctioned supertanker transporting Venezuelan petroleum earlier this month.

Since US Treasury Department sanctioned the national oil company’s erstwhile trading partners, two subsidiaries of Russia’s Rosneft, in 2020, forcing it to reduce output and exports, the interceptions represent Washington’s most severe blow to PDVSA. Since 2019, PDVSA has already been subject to sanctions.

Pro-government legislator Giuseppe Alessandrello introduced the draft “Law to Guarantee Freedom of Navigation and Commerce Against Piracy, Blockades, and Other International Illicit Acts” on Monday.

According to Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly, the bill will be transmitted to the executive branch for approval at the conclusion of the session and will become operative upon publication in the Official Gazette.

Washington has stepped up its military build-up in the Caribbean and killed dozens of people in strikes on boats it claims, without proof, are trafficking drugs off its borders as part of its increased pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government in recent months.

According to U.S. officials, the activities are a component of the fight against narcotics trafficking and sanctions evasion.

Maduro claims that the US wants to overthrow him and damage Venezuela’s economy.

Rodriguez also attacked the political opposition in Venezuela, whose leader has been hiding for months yet visited Oslo earlier in December to accept her Nobel Peace Prize.

The opposition “stole, plundered, bowed down to U.S. imperialism,” he claimed, accusing them of supporting sanctions. He also declared that “they are happy with the aggressive actions currently taking place in the Caribbean Sea.”