Gustavo González López graduated from the Military Academy in 1982, with prominent classmates including Bolivar state governor, Francisco Rangel Gómez. Between January and May 1991, Lopez Gonzalez was sent to the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, in Georgia for a "Psychological Operations" and Advanced Officer Training course by the US Army.
Since 17 February 2014, following the controversial shootings during the 2014 Venezuelan protests in Candelaria which left Bassil Da Costa shot dead, he was appointed Director of Bolivarian Intelligence Service and president of Strategic Centre for Security and Protection Patria. González López was one of seven officials that received targeted sanctions by the government of Barack Obama for alleged human rights abuses. Following the announcement of sanctions, González López was promoted to Minister of Popular Power for Interior, Justice and Peace on 15 March 2015 by President Nicolás Maduro, who stated "I have decided to appoint Major General González López Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace to go with his award of the American empire to secure peace in the country, citizen and national security". On 1 July 2017, President Nicolás Maduro named González Lópezgeneral-in-chief of the Venezuelan army. In 2018, González López allegedly faced scrutiny within the Maduro government following a drone attack targeting Maduro and the death of Fernando Albán Salazar, who died in SEBIN custody at the agency's headquarters. He was subsequently replaced by Manuel Cristopher Figuera. Following the 2019 Venezuelan uprising against Maduro, which saw SEBIN director Cristopher Figuera participate as a plotter, González López was named Director of SEBIN for the second time by Maduro.
Controversy
Sanctions
González has been sanctioned by several countries. The U.S. sanctioned González for his role in the 2014 Venezuelan protests. U.S. President Barack Obama issued a presidential order in 2015 declaring Venezuela a "threat to its national security" and ordered the United States Department of the Treasury to freeze property and assets of seven Venezuelan officials. The U.S. held the seven individuals, including González, responsible for "excesses committed in the repression of the demonstrations of February 2014 that left at least 43 dead" including "erosion of human rights guarantees, persecution of political opponents, restrictions on press freedom, violence and human rights abuses in response to anti-government protests, arbitrary arrests and arrests of anti-government protesters, and significant public corruption" according to BBC Mundo. Canada sanctioned 40 Venezuelan officials, including González, in September 2017. The sanctions were for behaviors that undermined democracy after at least 125 people will killed in the 2017 Venezuelan protests and "in response to the government of Venezuela's deepening descent into dictatorship". Canadians were banned from transactions with the 40 individuals, whose Canadian assets were frozen. The European Union sanctioned seven Venezuela officials, including González, on 18 January 2018, singling them out as being responsible for deteriorating democracy in the country. The sanctioned individuals were prohibited from entering the nations of the European Union, and their assets were frozen. In March 2018, Panama sanctioned 55 public officials, including González, and Switzerland implemented sanctions, freezing the assets of seven ministers and high officials, including González, due to human rights violations and deteriorating rule of law and democracy.
