U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Venezuela’s Jorge Rodríguez as Maduro Faces New Torture Case in New York
The Trump administration has taken Venezuelan National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez off the U.S. sanctions list, even as a New York judge orders Nicolás Maduro and his wife to appear over fresh torture‑conspiracy charges. The moves show Washington easing pressure on one senior figure while stepping up legal action against another.
U.S. policy toward Venezuela is pulling in two directions at once: easing sanctions on a key official while intensifying legal pressure on the country’s former leader.
The U.S. Treasury Department has removed Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, from its sanctions list. Rodríguez is the brother of Delcy Rodríguez, described in one report as Venezuela’s acting president. The change appears on Treasury’s website and has been presented in other coverage as part of a period in which U.S.–Venezuela energy ties are deepening.
Local and regional outlets note the delisting, with one report highlighting that Rodríguez is a central figure in Venezuela’s political negotiations and a main interlocutor with foreign governments. Sanctions had restricted his dealings with U.S. persons and firms. Lifting them may make it easier for Washington and Caracas to talk about issues such as oil and broader political arrangements.
At the same time, a U.S. federal judge in New York has ordered former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to appear in court. Judge Alvin Hellerstein set a hearing in New York for 15 October at 11 a.m., so they can respond to new charges of conspiracy to commit torture.
These legal steps add to long‑running U.S. cases that accuse people close to Maduro of narcotrafficking and organized crime. They signal that, even as some sanctions ease, parts of Venezuela’s leadership remain exposed in foreign courts.
Caracas is also trying to reshape the international framing of sanctions. Venezuela has proposed at UNESCO that a new international instrument be created to protect cultural assets and rights from unilateral coercive measures — language the government commonly uses to refer to sanctions.
For Venezuelans, developments abroad can translate into concrete impacts at home. Removing sanctions from a senior official can help open up diplomatic channels that might lead to more oil exports or financial relief. New court cases against other figures reinforce the risk that those who travel or hold assets overseas could face arrest or asset freezes.
Observers will be watching how Maduro responds to the New York summons, whether the U.S. extends sanctions relief to more Venezuelan officials, and whether any of the changes unlock specific steps on energy cooperation or political talks.
Sources
- OSINT