Venezuela

1964-12-14

Venezuela

V-7087964

Chief of Staff of the Commander-in-Chief FANB, Deputy Minister of Monitoring and Inspection of Government Administration, and Secretary General of the National Defence Council (SECODENA). José Adelino Ornelas Ferreira has been Second in Command and Chief of Staff of Strategic Command Operations of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (CEOFANB) since June 2017, having been appointed to the post by Nicolas Maduro. The CEOFANB is the highest point of command in the Venezuelan armed forces. The CEOFANB sets the strategic direction of all strands of the Venezuelan military (Army, Navy, Air Force, and National Guard (GNB)), co-ordinates them, and implements operations. Since September 2020, Ornelas has been the Chief of the General Staff to the Commander in Chief. There is reliable evidence that the GNB has committed serious human rights violations during Ferreira’s period in charge. A report by OHCHR in 2018 documents incidents of people deprived of their liberty and subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and (in many cases possibly) torture, reportedly carried out in part by the GNB. Some of these incidents occurred in the period that Ferreira has held the position of Commander of the CEOFANB. As a commander of the CEOFANB, and Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief and Strategic Command Operations, and thus in charge of the GNB, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that Ferreira was involved in those acts. There is reliable evidence that the GNB used excessive force against people in the Pemon territory in February 2019, including killing three people, and carried out extrajudicial killings of an alleged terrorist group in El Junquito, Caracas. As a CEOFANB Commander and Chief of Staff at the time, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that Ferreira was involved in those grave human rights violations. Finally, there is reliable evidence that In May 2019 members of the Venezuelan National Guard (GNB), which sits under the command of the CEOFANB, during Ferreira’s time in role, used tear gas to disperse a march of opposition supporters. Due to his role, Ferreira is partially responsible for this repression of civil society and violation of freedom of expression.

The Director Disqualification Sanction was imposed on 09/04/2025.

2020-12-31

UK

The Venezuela (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

UK country specific

Venezuela

Asset freeze and making available provisions, Trade sanctions, Travel bans

• The Regulations impose financial sanctions through a targeted asset freeze on designated persons and prohibitions on making funds or economic resources available. This involves the freezing of funds and economic resources (non-monetary assets, such as property or vehicles) of designated persons and ensuring that funds and economic resources are not made available to or for the benefit of designated persons, either directly or indirectly. • The effect of the Regulations is to impose a travel ban on persons who are designated by the Secretary of State for the purposes of being made subject to immigration sanctions under the Sanctions Act. • Trade sanctions.

The Venezuela (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 came fully into force on 31 December 2020. They are intended to ensure that certain financial, trade and immigration sanctions relating to Venezuela continue to operate effectively. You should also review the Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 and the Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 to find out any amendments made to the Regulations. This sanctions regime is aimed at encouraging the government of Venezuela to respect democratic principles, to comply with international human rights law and to respect human rights. These regulations have replaced, with substantially the same effect, relevant existing EU legislation and related UK regulations.

Licensing and exception provisions are contained in Part 6 of the Regulations.