Joaquin Castro: “And rise in strong support of H.R. 4587, the Venezuelan Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act. I would first like to…”

“And rise in strong support of H.R. 4587, the Venezuelan Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act. I would first like to thank Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen for authoring this legislation and for her dedication to these important issues. The eyes of this Congress and the international community are on Venezuela and President Nicolas Maduro and his security forces as they crack down on peaceful protesters. It is an absolute tragedy that 42 people have been killed in protests throughout the country. I am also troubled that opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez remains in jail on charges while many others have been unjustly detained by the Maduro government. I am grateful for President Obama and Secretary Kerry's strong statements condemning the government's reprehensible actions. Let me say that all of us in Congress want nothing more than a peaceful resolution to this conflict. It was disappointing when negotiations between the Maduro government and the opposition broke down, and I hope that these talks can be revived. In March, the House of Representatives passed a resolution which encouraged ``a process of dialogue between the Government of Venezuela and the political opposition to end the violence.'' I continue to believe that dialogue is the best way out of this crisis. In the meantime, the legislation that we are considering today makes it clear that the United States will not turn a blind eye to human rights violations.…”