Venezuela criminalises seizure of oil tankers after US actions
Venezuela's parliament has passed a law criminalising the hijacking of oil tankers and other actions that could hinder the country's foreign trade. The new rules provide for fines and imprisonment of up to 20 years for those who organise, finance, support or participate in acts of piracy, naval blockade or other illegal actions against commercial entities. This was reported by The Public with reference to DW.
The bill was drafted, reviewed and passed less than two months after the United States seized two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil in international waters this month. Caracas estimates that the oil in question is almost 4 million barrels. The document will come into force after being signed by President Nicolas Maduro.
The law also obliges the government to develop special protection mechanisms and economic incentives for national and foreign companies operating in Venezuela in the event of a blockade or other forceful actions against maritime transport.
The issue of the tanker seizure was the subject of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council initiated by Venezuela. The country's permanent representative to the UN, Samuel Moncada, accused the US of acting outside the framework of international law and called the seizure a form of naval blockade. During the discussion, China and Russia supported Venezuela, accusing Washington of pressure and intimidation, while a number of countries, including Panama and Argentina, sided with the United States.
The US side said that the seizure of the tankers is part of a strategy to put pressure on the Maduro regime. The US representative to the UN stressed that oil export revenues, according to Washington, are used to support illegal structures and preserve the power of the current Venezuelan leadership.
