Getty ImagesThe US has announced a $25m (£20.4m) reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on the day he is sworn in for a third six-year term.
The opening ceremony was criticized by the international community and Venezuelan opposition leaders.
Rewards have also been offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. A new reward of up to $15 million has also been offered for Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.
Britain has also imposed sanctions on 15 high-ranking Venezuelan officials, including judges, members of the security forces and military officials.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said those sanctioned were responsible for “violations of democracy, the rule of law and human rights”.
Foreign Secretary David Lemmy described Maduro’s government as a “fraud.”
Also on Friday, the European Union said it was extending “sanction measures” against Venezuela because of the “lack of progress … in restoring democracy and the rule of law.” The bloc also approved 15 more Venezuelan officials.
Canada also imposed fresh sanctions in what Foreign Minister Melanie Joly called Maduro’s “shameless actions”.
Jolly said Canada “will not tolerate the erosion of the democratic process or the repression of citizens seeking to express their rights”.
Maduro and his government have repeatedly condemned many of the accusations made by Western countries and opposition leaders.
The reward from the US cites drug and corruption charges that date back to 2020.
In 2020, The United States indicted Maduro and other top officials. In a country with “drug terrorism”.
He accused them of flooding America with cocaine and using the drug as a weapon to harm the health of Americans.
Maduro has denied the allegations. The United States also reimposed oil sanctions last year, after temporarily easing them in the hope that Maduro could be encouraged to hold free and fair elections.
Venezuela’s president has blamed his country’s economic collapse on US-led sanctions, which he calls illegitimate and imperialist. His critics blame corruption and economic mismanagement.
On Friday, President Maduro took the oath of office and pledged that his third six-year term would be an “era of peace”.
He said that this new presidential period will be a period of peace, prosperity, equality and new democracy.
“I swear on history, I swear on my life, and I will fulfill it,” he added.
The July 28 election results were widely rejected by the international community, including Brazil and Colombia, some of Venezuela’s left-wing neighbors.
The inauguration itself was a tightly controlled affair. Most accredited Venezuelan media were not allowed in, and foreign journalists were not allowed into the country.
Maduro has few remaining allies, including Iran, China and Russia, but he is increasingly isolated globally.
Only the presidents of Cuba and Nicaragua were present at the opening ceremony.
The 62-year-old was declared the winner of last July’s presidential election, but the opposition and several countries, including the United States, rejected the result and recognized the exiled opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the legitimate president-elect.
Gonzalez fled Venezuela in September and is living in Spain, but this month he visited the United States to rally international support.
The Maduro government has issued an arrest warrant for him, offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the release of all those who have been “arbitrarily detained” since the election.
Additional reporting by Vanessa Silva in Caracas, Venezuela.