Venezuela passes law to imprison those backing U.S. 'piracy'
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced the approval of a law designed to guarantee freedom of navigation and international trade, in response to what the government calls acts of piracy, blockades, and other attacks on the high seas.
The "Law to Guarantee Free Navigation and Trade Against Piracy in the World's Seas" was approved by Venezuela's National Assembly of Venezuela during an extraordinary session Tuesday, digital outlet El InformadorVE reported.
The law imposes prison sentences of 15 to 20 years on anyone who supports acts of "piracy, blockade or other illicit international actions" against Venezuelan vessels.
The announcement comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Caracas.
In mid-December, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump ordered what it described as a "total and complete" blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, a move that has led to the seizure of two vessels and pursuit of a third.
According to the approved legal text, the measure seeks to protect Venezuela's sovereign right to trade freely by sea in response to what lawmakers describe as "foreign aggressions."
During the session, Foreign Policy Committee Chairman Giuseppe Alessandrello said the law is a tool to "defend the country's territorial and economic integrity" against measures that, in his view, undermine the free movement of goods and resources.
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