Venezuela unanimously approves amnesty law for political prisoners

BarcelonaThe National Assembly of Venezuela approved yesterday, Thursday, the amnesty law for political prisoners announced three weeks ago by interim president Delcy Rodríguez. The law, approved unanimously, establishes pardons for convictions related to acts or "offenses committed" during various events in the country between 1999 and 2025, such as the failed coup against President Hugo Chávez in April 2002 and several anti-government protests. It also excludes individuals who have promoted or participated in "armed actions or the use of force against the people, sovereignty, and territorial integrity" of the Latin American country.

Nicolás Maduro's successor has already called for the "utmost speed" in implementing the law: "One must know how to ask for forgiveness, and one must know how to receive forgiveness," Rodríguez said. The text is the result of several weeks of debate among parliamentary groups and includes more provisions than initially envisioned. However, some NGOs in the country pointed out that the law has an "unjustifiable excess of exclusions."

In the plenary session that approved the amnesty, a parliamentary commission of 23 National Assembly deputies, from both the opposition and Chavismo, was also appointed to develop mechanisms to guarantee compliance with the law. The deputies on this commission will be the ones who can effectively advocate within the institutions to review cases that may be excluded.

With the approval of the law, Chavismo wants to lay the groundwork for a "new political moment" in the country, in the words of Delcy Rodríguez a few days ago. Following Maduro's kidnapping and in line with these changes, the interim president has also called for the closure of El Helicoide, a prison denounced as a torture center by NGOs and opposition members. In recent weeks, Chavismo has also released dozens of prisoners critical of the government.

Just hours after the amnesty was approved, opposition member Juan Pablo Guanipa, an associate of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, was released. Two weeks ago, Guanipa was also released, but hours after his release from prison, he was arrested again and placed under house arrest.

Joy among family and friends

Among the family and friends of the prisoners who are expected to benefit from the law, the joy is immense today. "We are very excited because we feel that, in one way or another, the struggle we have waged all these days has been worthwhile," Petra Vera, a relative of a prisoner held at the Bolivarian National Police station known as Zone 7 in Caracas, told EFE. The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, visited the station on February 6 and assured that when the amnesty law was approved, "all" those detained at this station would be released. A group of women had been on hunger strike near this station since Saturday to demand the release of prisoners. This Thursday, they had to end their protest due to the "physical conditions," and several of them were transferred to hospitals during the week. "But we are staying here until the last one is released," Vera said.