OAS chief calls for stiffer sanctions against Venezuela

MADRID – The head of the Organization of American States wants tougher international sanctions placed on Venezuela.

OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro says “broader and more general sanctions” should be targeted at the functioning of President Nicolas Maduro’s government. He did not elaborate.

Sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union, among others, are aimed at breaking Maduro’s grip on power amid a deepening political and economic crisis in Venezuela.

Spanish news agency Europa Press says Almagro, speaking Friday at a conference in Madrid, also expressed support for the International Criminal Court’s probe into alleged crimes by Venezuelan security forces. He described Maduro’s rule as “a dictatorship.”

Maduro has withdrawn Venezuela from the 34-nation OAS over its criticism of his administration. He is seeking a second term in a May election.