HAVANA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Monday rebuked U.S. sanctions against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over an election in the Latin American country to choose members for the National Constituent Assembly, a body tasked to rewrite the constitution.
The sanctions against Maduro violate international law and are "totally arbitrary," the Cuban Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued late Monday.
Earlier, the Trump administration imposed a series of sanctions against the Venezuelan leader, accusing him and his government of undermining democracy in the South American country.
Measures put in place by the U.S. government include freezing any U.S. assets Maduro might have and banning people under U.S. jurisdiction from dealing with him.
These measures are part of a broader "international operation" which aims to topple Maduro and hand over the power to a "U.S. puppet opposition," the statement said.
The operation, directed by Washington with the support of the secretary general of the Organization of American States, is intended to silence the voice of the Venezuelan people, ignore their will and attack the country with economic sanctions, said the statement.
The statement also lauded the Venezuelans who took part in Sunday's election.
"Venezuelans went to the polls like never before defying barricades, violent protests, economic sabotage and international threats. They defeated with their votes the strategy of U.S. imperialism and the local opposition," added the statement.
