Remigio Ceballos
{{Short description|Venezuelan military officer}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Remigio Ceballos
| office = Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace
| term_start = 19 August 2021
| term_end = 27 August 2024
| president = Nicolás Maduro
| predecessor = Carmen Meléndez
| successor = Diosdado Cabello
| office1 = Strategic Operations Commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces
| term_start1 = 20 June 2017
| term_end1 = 7 July 2021
| president1 = Nicolás Maduro
| predecessor1 = Vladimir Padrino López
| successor1 = Domingo Hernández Lárez
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| honorific_suffix =
| image = ALMIRANTE-EN-JEFE-REMIGIO-CEBALLOS-ICHASO-GALA.jpg
| image_size =
| image_upright =
| smallimage =
| alt =
| caption = Ceballos in 2020
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|05|01|df=y}}
| birth_place = Caracas, Venezuela{{fact|date=October 2023}}
| alma_mater = {{nowrap|Military Academy of Venezuela}}
| party = United Socialist Party of Venezuela
| allegiance = {{flag|Venezuela}}
| branch = {{navy|Venezuela}}
}}
Remigio Ceballos Ichaso is a Venezuelan military officer who, as of 2020, holds the rank of admiral and served as commanding officer of the Strategic Command Operations of Venezuela.{{cite web|title=Treasury Takes Steps to Harmonize International Sanctions Efforts Against Venezuelan Officials|url=https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm825|website=United States Department of the Treasury|publisher=United States Government|accessdate=February 16, 2020}} As a member of the Venezuelan Marine Corps, Ceballos advanced through rank promotions to his current position and has received military training in both the United States and Israel.{{cite news|last1=Delgado|first1=Antonio|date=January 24, 2019|title=These are the Venezuela military officers who have kept Maduro in power|work=Miami Herald|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article225058420.html|accessdate=February 16, 2020}} He was previously an aide-de-camp to former President Hugo Chávez.{{cite web|title=A closer look at the Venezuelan military|url=http://country.eiu.com/article.aspx?articleid=1677616751&Country=Venezuela&topic=Politics|website=Economist Intelligence Unit|publisher=The Economist|accessdate=February 16, 2020}}
Career
On July 18, 2016, he was appointed head of the vertex "Comprehensive Security and Defense Plan" of the Great Sovereign Supply Mission, created a week earlier by President Nicolás Maduro. He has held different positions within the Venezuelan State, among which are: Director of Research, Training and Doctrine of the Second Command and Headquarters of the General Staff of the General Command of the Bolivarian Militia, Commander of the Bolivarian Navy Infantry of the Naval Operations Command of the General Command of the Bolivarian Navy and Vice Minister for Planning and Development of Defense of the Ministry for Defense until July 2015.
On March 16, 2019, he announced: "The entire Armed Forces are deployed in all states addressing the electrical, hydrological, fuel services, and telecommunications systems."
International sanctions
On November 5, 2019, Ceballos was sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury for acting “on behalf of the oppressive regime of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which continues to be involved in egregious levels of corruption and human rights abuses,” said Steven Mnuchin, United States Secretary of the Treasury.
In 2021, he was sanctioned by the EU, making him subject to a travel ban and assets freeze in those jurisdictions, due to his fundamental role in oversight and abetment of serious human right abuses perpetrated by the FANB and the Bolivian National Guard against peaceful demonstrators and opponents of the Maduro regime.{{Cite web |title=COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2022/2194 of 10 November 2022 implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2063 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Venezuela |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32022R2194 |website=Official Journal of the European Union}}