According to an article by PanamPost published on 12 October 2017, EU countries unanimously agreed to prepare
sanctions against the Venezuelan government due to its continued violation of human rights. US sanctions are also in place. This has caused President Nicolas Maduro to
seek support from further afield, including from such countries as China, India, Turkey and Russia, according to a report by PanamPost on 23 October 2017.
Rossana Ramirez, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "The EU and US sanctions have caused President Maduro to look for other governments with which to sign "˜collaboration agreements". This represents a clear danger for Christians in Venezuela since the countries ready to help are those in which Christians are known to suffer discrimination and persecution. The situation for the Church in Venezuela is bad enough already: The insecurity, the
constant church robberies (as reported by Aletia on 30 October 2017) and the
electricity cuts (as reported by Aciprensa on 30 October 2017) - not to mention the constant criticism and censorship by the authorities - make normal Christian life impossible. However, if funding does indeed come from repressive countries, their criminal practices against Christians may also be exported, causing the Venezuelan government to act even more harshly against Christians professing their faith."
