Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) spoke in favor of passing strong sanctions against Venezuela Thursday night, discussing the human rights violations done there by the socialist regime of Nicolas Maduro.
Protests against Venezuela's "economic chaos," the Washington Post reports, have been rampant for much of 2014, and many government critics have been "jailed on charges related to the demonstrations." Rubio spoke of one local mayor there who was put through a show trial because he urged citizens to peacefully resist Maduro's oppression.
Rubio also discussed their support for other human rights violators like Iran and Syria in urging the Senate to pass the sanctions, recognizing the House of Representatives had a separate bill that would have to be reconciled.
"I think passage of this in the next few hours will send a powerful message to the people of Venezuela," Rubio said. "That the people of America, speaking through our Senate, are firmly on their side and on their aspirations for freedom and for liberty and on the side of their human rights."
Rubio was interviewed by the Washington Free Beacon's Ellison Barber on Venezuela in April, where he made the case that the government there acts as an enemy to the United States.
Earlier in July, Rubio sent a letter to President Obama outlining his reasoning behind imposing sanctions, the Free Beacon reported:
"Three months ago, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging you to impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, against officials involved in this ongoing repression," Rubio wrote in the letter to the president. "I have been working with Senators Menendez and Nelson on legislation that would impose such sanctions immediately. I intend to seek Senate passage of this bill in the coming weeks, a version of which the House of Representatives has already passed, to ensure that Congress continues to send a strong message to the Maduro regime."
Rubio called on Obama to use the levers of government to make life difficult for those in the government who are abusing human rights.
"I urge you to heed these bipartisan calls from Congress and take action immediately. You already have the ability to begin to make life more difficult for those involved in brutal human rights abuses and corruption," Rubio wrote.