Gustavo González López
Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace
In office
17 February 2014 – 3 August 2016
Preceded byCarmen Melendez Teresa Rivas
Succeeded byNéstor Reverol
Director of SEBIN
In office
10 March 2015 – 30 October 2018
Preceded byManuel Bernal Martínez[1]
Succeeded byManuel Cristopher Figuera
Assumed office
30 April 2019
Preceded byManuel Cristopher Figuera
Personal details
Born (1960-11-02) 2 November 1960
Military service
Branch/serviceVenezuelan Army
Years of service1986 – present
Rank Major General
CommandsSEBIN (2014 – 2018)

Gustavo Enrique González López is the former Venezuelan Minister of Popular Power for Interior, Justice and Peace (MPPRIJP) in 2015-2016 and is the current director of the National Intelligence Service (SEBIN).[2][3][4][5]

Career

Gustavo González López graduated from the Military Academy in 1982, with prominent classmates including Bolivar state governor, Francisco Rangel Gómez. Between January and May 1991, Lopez Gonzalez was sent to the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, in Georgia for a "Psychological Operations" and Advanced Officer Training course by the US Army.[6]

Chávez government

López González joined the Venezuelan cabinet in 2006 where he served as president of Metro de Caracas and Los Teques Metro. In December 2008, President Hugo Chávez appointed him commander of the 5th Jungle Infantry Division, Operation Theatre No. 5 and Garrison Ciudad Bolivar. He was made the commanding general of the Bolivarian Militia on 30 July 2011. He also served as secretary of the Security and Intelligence Unit Electric System.

Maduro government

Since 17 February 2014, following the controversial shootings during the 2014 Venezuelan protests in Candelaria which left Bassil Da Costa shot dead, he was appointed Director of Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and president of Strategic Centre for Security and Protection Patria.[7][8]

González López was one of seven officials that received targeted sanctions by the government of Barack Obama for alleged human rights abuses. Following the announcement of sanctions, González López was promoted to Minister of Popular Power for Interior, Justice and Peace on 15 March 2015 by President Nicolás Maduro, who stated "I have decided to appoint Major General González López Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace to go with his award of the American empire to secure peace in the country, citizen and national security".[7][8][9][10]

On 1 July 2017, President Nicolás Maduro named González López general-in-chief of the Venezuelan army.[11] In 2018, González López allegedly faced scrutiny within the Maduro government following a drone attack targeting Maduro and the death of Fernando Albán Salazar, who died in SEBIN custody at the agency's headquarters.[12] He was subsequently replaced by Manuel Cristopher Figuera.[12]

Following the 2019 Venezuelan uprising against Maduro, which saw SEBIN director Cristopher Figuera participate as a plotter, González López was named Director of SEBIN for the second time by Maduro.[12]

Controversy

Sanctions

González has been sanctioned by several countries.

The U.S. sanctioned González for his role in the 2014 Venezuelan protests.[13] U.S. President Barack Obama issued a presidential order in 2015 declaring Venezuela a "threat to its national security" and ordered the United States Department of the Treasury to freeze property and assets of seven Venezuelan officials.[14][15] The U.S. held the seven individuals, including González, responsible for "excesses committed in the repression of the demonstrations of February 2014 that left at least 43 dead" including "erosion of human rights guarantees, persecution of political opponents, restrictions on press freedom, violence and human rights abuses in response to anti-government protests, arbitrary arrests and arrests of anti-government protesters, and significant public corruption" according to BBC Mundo.[16]

Canada sanctioned 40 Venezuelan officials, including González, in September 2017.[17][18] The sanctions were for behaviors that undermined democracy after at least 125 people will killed in the 2017 Venezuelan protests and "in response to the government of Venezuela's deepening descent into dictatorship".[17] Canadians were banned from transactions with the 40 individuals, whose Canadian assets were frozen.[17]

The European Union sanctioned seven Venezuela officials, including González, on 18 January 2018, singling them out as being responsible for deteriorating democracy in the country.[19] The sanctioned individuals were prohibited from entering the nations of the European Union, and their assets were frozen.[20]

In March 2018, Panama sanctioned 55 public officials, including González,[21] and Switzerland implemented sanctions, freezing the assets of seven ministers and high officials, including González, due to human rights violations and deteriorating rule of law and democracy.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Maduro cesa al director de los Servicios de Inteligencia". ABC news (in Spanish). 18 February 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "Misión a Toda Vida Venezuela" (PDF). Normas y Procedimientos de Control Interno. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Oficializan designación de González López como ministro de Interior". EL UNIVERSAL. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Maduro nombra nuevo ministro de Interior a uno de los sancionados por Estados Unidos". EL MUNDO. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Mayor Gral. Gustavo González López es el nuevo ministro de Interior, Justicia y Paz". Agencia Venezolana de Noticias (AVN). 10 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. 1 2 "González López, un hombre de Diosdado Cabello". El Nacional. 10 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Maduro nombra a uno de los castigados por las sanciones de EE.UU. como nuevo ministro del Interior". ABC. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "Perfil, Gustavo González López, del Sebin a Interior y Justicia". Últimas Noticias. 10 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "El general González López asume su cargo como ministro del Interior de Venezuela". InfoDefenza. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "Maduro ascendió a Gustavo González López a general en jefe del Ejército". EL NACIONAL. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 "¿Quién es Manuel Figuera, el ex director del Sebin al que EE.UU. le retiró las sanciones?". El Comercio (in Spanish). 8 May 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  13. ↑ "Issuance of a new Venezuela-related Executive Order; Venezuela-related Designations". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  14. ↑ Rhodan, Maya (9 March 2015). "White House sanctions seven officials in Venezuela". Time. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  15. ↑ "U.S. declares Venezuela a national security threat, sanctions top officials". Reuters. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  16. ↑ "Qué significa que EE.UU. considere a Venezuela 'una amenaza para la seguridad nacional'". BBC Mundo. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 "Canada imposes sanctions on key Venezuelan officials". CBC Canada. Thomson Reuters. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  18. ↑ Zilio, Michelle (22 September 2017). "Canada sanctions 40 Venezuelans with links to political, economic crisis". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 3 April 2019. Also at Punto de Corte and El Nacional
  19. ↑ "Quiénes son los 7 funcionarios de Venezuela sancionados por la Unión Europea y de qué se les acusa". BBC Mundo (in Spanish). 22 January 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  20. ↑ "EU imposes sanctions on 7 senior Venezuelan officials". Associated Press. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  21. ↑ "Los 55 funcionarios sancionados por Panamá por 'blanqueo de capitales'". El Nacional (in Spanish). 30 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2019. Also at Panama Economic and Finance Ministry Archived 5 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ↑ "Swiss impose sanctions on seven senior Venezuelan officials". Reuters. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2019. Also at Diario Las Americas
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