WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Pete Olson (TX-22) issued the following statement after the CITGO 6’s sham trial in Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s kangaroo court:
“I am devastated to learn of the sentencing of the CITGO 6 after waiting 1,102 days for a sham trial completely behind closed doors with no proof of guilt. Dictator Maduro was voted out of power in May 2018. He must respect the will of the Venezuelan people and resign immediately. I will continue working with the CITGO 6 families and our State Department for true justice and their immediate release. These men deserve to come home ahora!”
The CITGO 6 are six oil executives of said company — Gustavo Cárdenas, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Jose Zambrano and Jose Angel Pereira — who were arrested and wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela three years ago. Five of the six men face eight year, 10 month sentences while one of the men, Periera, faces a 13 year sentence.