Washington, March 10 (teleSUR-RHC)-- U.S. President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order regarding Venezuela on Monday aimed at threatening the government of President Nicolas Maduro and as an act of aggression against the country’s sovereignty by declaring a national emergency based on arguments claiming that the South American nation is a threat to national security because of alleged human rights violations and widespread corruption.

“I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, find that the situation in Venezuela, including the Government of Venezuela's erosion of human rights guarantees, persecution of political opponents, curtailment of press freedoms, use of violence and human rights violations and abuses in response to anti-government protests, and arbitrary arrest and detention of antigovernment protestors, as well as the exacerbating presence of significant public corruption, constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat,” the order reads.

​Obama also ordered sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials, saying that they all would be banned from traveling to the United States and any and all assets and properties belonging to them would be frozen.