BOGOTA, Colombia _ Canada on Wednesday hit 14 Venezuelan officials _ including President Nicolas Maduro's wife � with sanctions in response to the "illegitimate and anti-democratic elections held in Venezuela on May 20."
The order freezes the assets of the individuals and bars people living in Canada, or Canadians living outside the country, from dealing in property or providing financial services to those on the list.
Among those hit are Cilia Flores, Venezuela's first lady and a member of the National Constituent Assembly (ANC). Maduro was sanctioned by Canada in 2017.
The other people listed include officers of the ANC, members of the Venezuelan Supreme Court and members of the National Electoral Council.
"These sanctions send a clear message that the Maduro regime's anti-democratic behavior has consequences," Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement. "Today's announcement is evidence of our commitment to defending democracy and human rights around the world and our rejection of Venezuela's fraudulent presidential elections. Canada is as determined as ever to support the people of Venezuela as they seek a more peaceful, democratic and prosperous future."
On Monday, the European Union announced that it also would be leveling more sanctions against Venezuelan officials.
The actions come after Maduro, 55, won a new six-year term in May in a vote that the United States, the European Union and more than a dozen Latin American countries have said was illegitimate.
