Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on December 8, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 - (Sec. 3) Expresses the sense of Congress that: the United States aspires to a mutually beneficial relationship with Venezuela based on respect for human rights and the rule of law, and a productive relationship on issues of public security, including counter narcotics and counterterrorism; the United States supports the efforts of the people of Venezuela to realize their economic potential and advance representative democracy; the government of Venezuela's mismanagement of its economy has produced conditions of economic hardship; the government's failure to guarantee public security has led Venezuela to become one of the most violent countries in the world; the government continues to remove checks and balances on the executive, politicize the judiciary, undermine the independence of the legislature, persecute its political opponents, curtail freedom of the press, and limit the free expression of its citizens; the people of Venezuela have turned out in demonstrations throughout the country to protest the government's inability to ensure their political and economic well-being; and the use of violence by the National Guard and security personnel is intolerable and the use of unpr…

Congressional Research Service · 2014-12-18