US SANCTIONS depriving citizens of food and medicines have caused at least 40,000 deaths in Venezuela over the past five years, President Nicolas Maduro has said in an open letter.
The Bolivarian leader cited research from the US Centre for Economic Policy & Research, which warned that the impact of the illegal blockade had led to the excessive deaths.
He called on people across the world to denounce the measures taken by Washington, which Mr Maduro said were designed to strangle the Venezuelan economy as part of its bid to overthrow the democratically elected government.
International solidarity can ensure that Trump and his machine cannot prevail without a level of political and economic cost that he will not want to pay, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
The global left must be unwavering in it is support for Venezuela as Washington increases its aggression, and clear-eyed about the West’s cynical motives for targeting it, says CLAUDIA WEBBE



