A/HRC/41/18 D. Unilateral coercive measures 25. The large majority of sanctions that have been imposed to date by a number of States and a regional organization are targeted in nature, consisting of travel bans and asset freezes with respect to some 150 people, including senior-level government officials, or arms embargoes.18 One country to date has imposed broader, sectoral sanctions, as of 24 August 2017. 19 On 25 January 2019, sanctions were imposed on the State-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, also blocking property and property interests of subsidiaries within the jurisdiction of the United States of America. 20 26. The Government has assigned blame for the economic crisis on the sanctions imposed on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, arguing that as a result of overcompliance, banking transactions have been delayed or rejected and assets have been frozen, which hinders the State’s ability to import food and medicines. 27. The economy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in particular its oil industry and food production systems, were already in crisis before any sectoral sanctions were imposed. Figures published by the Central Bank of Venezuela on 28 May 2019 show that key economic indicators began to decline dramatically well before August 2017. 21 Nevertheless, the latest economic sanctions are further exacerbating the effects of the economic crisis, and thus the humanitarian situation, given that most of the foreign exchange earnings derive from oil exports, many of which are linked to the United States market. The Government has agreed to gradually authorize humanitarian assistance from the United Nations and other actors. However, the level of assistance is minimal vis-à-vis the scale of the crisis and there is an urgent need to adopt structural economic reforms. III. Civil and political rights A. Freedom of opinion and expression 28. Over the past years, the Government has attempted to impose a communicational hegemony by enforcing its own version of events and creating an environment that curtails independent media. This situation continued to worsen between January 2018 and May 2019. Dozens of print media closed and the Government shut down radio stations and blocked television channels. Detentions of journalists increased, including of foreign journalists who were expelled or left the country immediately after having been released. Hundreds of Venezuelan journalists now live in exile. The Internet and social media have become the main means of communication and information for the population, further limiting access to independent information for those who do not have Internet access. Internet speed is also steadily decreasing, because of, among other things, a lack of investment in infrastructure. In addition, in recent years, the Government has blocked independent news websites and regularly blocks the main social media platforms. 29. OHCHR documented a number of cases of arbitrary detention of people for expressing opinions on social media. In the past 10 years, the non-governmental organization Espacio Público has registered the arbitrary detention of and criminal charges against 55 persons for social media publications, 24 of them in 2018. 22 18 19 20 21 22 6 Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Switzerland, United States of America and the European Union. Executive Order 13808. Further sectoral sanctions were imposed on 19 March 2018 (Executive Order 13827), 21 May 2018 (Executive Order 13835) and 1 November 2018 (Executive Order 13850). Executive Order 13857. See www.bcv.org.ve. Espacio Público, “Detenciones en línea. Presos por usar las redes sociales”, 2 May 2019.