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Sanctions

UN Special Rapporteur Urges US To Lift The Blockade Against Venezuela

The Special Rapporteur of the United Nations (UN) on the effects of sanctions on human rights, Alena Douhan, held a press conference today before leaving Venezuela. Douhan detailed the impact of the United States’ unilateral coercive measures on the Venezuelan people. Douhan reported that the unilateral “sanctions” violate International Law. The conclusion followed Douhan’s comprehensive report on damages caused by coercive measures implemented by Washington and its European partners against Venezuela, and specified that the final report will be presented to the UN in September 2021. Douhan urged the interlocutors to continue presenting additional material so that she can include them in her final report.

Take Action To End The Economic War At Home And Abroad

It is the same neoliberal economic system, white supremacy and disregard for human life that underlie sanctions abroad and at home. The current recession and pandemic have exposed this in a brutal way in the United States. The populations that are harmed the most are Indigenous peoples and communities of color. The United States government could have taken the effective steps of cancelling rent and debt, providing a monthly income and nationalizing healthcare that other countries took but instead passed laws that funneled wealth to the top while providing minimal relief to the majority.

Iran Adds Trump, Pompeo, Mnuchin, Several Ex-Officials To Sanctions Lists

Iran has imposed sanctions on incumbent US President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Secretary of Defence Christopher Miller, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, ex-Secretary of Defence Mark Esper, as well as a number of other former officials, including Gina Haspel, John Bolton, Brian Hook, and others, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said. The blacklisting of 10 senior US officials, including POTUS Trump, is because of their "role and involvement in terrorist and anti-human rights actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iranian citizens", the ministry's spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, as quoted by journalist Abas Aslani.

Capitol Riot Brings US Foreign Policy Home

The attack on the United States Capitol was yet another trauma created by the election of Donald Trump to the presidency. The scenes of his supporters literally breaking down the doors and causing members of Congress to flee or seek shelter were not the images that Americans want to connect with their country. Of all the reactions created by the riot, defense of American exceptionalism is the most pervasive but unfortunately the most damaging. Many of the people and institutions now bemoaning the state of the republic have given Trump and his predecessors the green light to subvert democracy around the world. 

Pompeo’s Iran/al-Qaeda Delusion

With just days left for the Trump administration, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared this week that Iran is the “new home base” for al-Qaeda and announced an additional round of sanctions on the country. Pompeo accused the nation of harboring and supporting the terrorist group’s forces, claiming it operated “under the hard shell of the Iranian regime’s protection”. The incoherence and hypocrisy of these claims, which were supported by no evidence, are laid bare upon basic examination of the history of al-Qaeda in relation to both the United States and Iran.  Al-Qaeda’s very existence is intrinsically connected to U.S. foreign policy.

US Designates Cuba As A ‘Sponsor Of Terrorism’

The United States announced on Monday January 11 that it will designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. The move came hours after Secretary of State of the Trump administration, Mike Pompeo, announced that the Yemeni militant group Ansar Allah, commonly known as the Houthis, would be designated as a “foreign terrorist organization.” The announcement has been met by widespread condemnation by authorities within Cuba and political leaders and movements worldwide. Foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla wrote on Twitter, “We condemn the hypocritical and cynical announcement by the US to designate Cuba as a State sponsoring terrorism.

New Venezuelan Parliament: Those Responsible For Political Instability And Looting Should Be Behind Bars

Caracas, Venezuela - Today, the first Vice President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Iris Varela, requested the creation of a special commission so that within 48 hours an arrest warrant could be issued for those who attacked the political stability of the country over the last two years. However, she stated that by virtue of the nature of the parliament, agreed to by the Board of Directors, within a period of one month the special parliamentary commission must present the draft exhortation to the Judiciary to issue arrest warrants against deputies and members of the previous board of directors for damages caused to the political, economic and social stability of Venezuela.

Venezuela Advances In Case Against The US Before International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC), in its annual report, confirmed the deposit of evidence by Venezuelan authorities regarding the lawsuit (Venezuela II) against United States officials for committing crimes against humanity as a result of the blockade and the coercive measures imposed on the Caribbean country. The information was released by the Foreign Affairs Minister of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, who indicated that the ICC continues to study the demand made by the Venezuelan government. “In her annual report, the #CPI Prosecutor confirms that she received the voluminous report from Prosecutor G @TarekWiliamSaab, as part of the cooperation.

Fuel Shortages In Venezuela

Fuel shortages have become of the main issues in Venezuela. The mainstream media, always on board the regime change bandwagon, is keen to report that "the country with the world's largest oil reserves" has no fuel, but not so much on the causes behind it. Under the weight of punishing US sanctions, state oil company PDVSA has seen production fall dramatically and fuel refining has been especially hit. In our most recent joint production with Tatuy Tv, we look at the causes and consequences of fuel shortages in Venezuela.

Venezuela Calls On UNSC To Reject Unilateral Sanctions

"All countries suffering from this type of aggression inflicted by economic means must cooperate to put an end to the suffering of our peoples," Ambassador Moncada stressed. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, Venezuela's Ambassador Samuel Moncada proposed the formation of an "International Alliance Against Unilateral Coercive Measures" to halt the crimes against humanity committed by the U.S. government, which keeps arbitrary economic sanctions against 29 countries. 

US Intervenes As Venezuela Prepares For High Stakes Election

The US finally appointed an ambassador to Venezuela after a decade hiatus and in the runup to the Venezuelan National Assembly elections. The new ambassador, James Story, was confirmed by US Senate voice vote on November 18 with Democrats supporting Trump’s nominee. Ambassador Story took his post in Bogotá, Colombia. No, this is not another example of Trump’s bungling by sending his man to the wrong capital. The US government does not recognize the democratically elected government in Caracas.

‘Distraction Mechanism’: NYT’s Crocodile Tears Over Iran Sanctions

What seems to be a compassionate plea for mercy from Washington by a major US newspaper is actually just a furthering of the US propaganda war against Iran that’s responsible for the strangling sanctions that frustrate its ability to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a doctor and activist told Sputnik. An op-ed by the New York Times Editorial Board on Tuesday urged: “Iran’s Covid-19 Death Toll Is Rising. Show Mercy, Mr. Trump.” However, while the article noted the extensive and deliberate damage US President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policies toward Tehran have had...

Trump’s Endless Wars

In the aftermath of the attacks on 9/11, the Bush Administration invaded Iraq and tortured prisoners of war and terrorism suspects, in flagrant violation of the U.N. Charter and the Geneva Conventions. As a result, the United States lost standing among many of its traditional allies around the world. President Barack Obama’s global charm offensive brought friends and allies back to America’s side, but his ten-fold increase in drone strikes to assassinate often innocent terrorism suspects, and his failure to reverse the ever-expanding violence and chaos of U.S. wars, overshadowed his efforts to restore America’s international credibility, especially in the Global South.

Trump Administration Imposes Crushing New Sanctions On Iran

The Trump administration on Thursday imposed a new, crushing round of sanctions that virtually blacklists Iran’s entire financial sector - raising concerns it will cut off the country’s ability to import humanitarian goods like food and medicine. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement that the sanctions, which target 18 banks and penalize foreign institutions that do business with them, are part of efforts to cut down on “illicit access to U.S. dollars” and won’t stifle humanitarian efforts.

US Sanctions Opposition Parties In Venezuela Ahead Of Elections

Elections for Venezuela’s National Assembly are fast approaching. But the United States does not want them to go ahead at all. Sanctions on Venezuela are nothing new. But yesterday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the unusual step of sanctioning leaders of local opposition parties in an attempt to pressure them to pull out of the contest in December. Remarkably, considering the well-documented flaws with the same problems in the U.S., Pompeo’s statement dubiously claimed that Venezuelan voting machines are unreliable, that millions of voters remain unregistered, and that the country’s supreme electoral council is politicized and hand-picked by the executive branch.

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Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! 

Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

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