These are diplomatic sanctions, not economic sanctions, so all the move really does is convey a message of disapproval to the Venezuelan government.

And to be clear, you don't have to pick sides or point fingers to justify those sanctions. Venezuelans have the right to figure out for themselves who they want to run their country.

However, it is clear that Maduro has been working to dismantle Venezuela's democratic institutions, rather than working within them, in his attempt to retain power. He is intent on turning the country into a dictatorship. This is the sort of thing that the international community can and should discourage as much as possible.