Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced a general amnesty bill that could see the release of hundreds of political prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists.
People in Venezuela have long called for the release of political
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, called on Friday for the country to implement a “new judicial system” and proposed an “amnesty law” that would lead to the release of hundreds of political prisoners and turn an infamous detention center into a sports and social venue.
“May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation, violence, and extremism,” she said in an event at the Supreme Court of Justice. “May it serve to restore justice in our country and restore peaceful coexistence among Venezuelans.”
Though the interim Venezuelan government did not release the text of the bill, leaving unclear the specific criteria that will be used to determine who qualifies for amnesty, Rodriguez said it would cover cases from after 1999 but would exclude those imprisoned for killings, serious abuses of human rights and drug trafficking.
Opposition says amnesty must include all civil society
The US-supported opposition in Venezuela has long sought the release of many political leaders. Venezuela-based prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal has estimated that 711 people are in detention for their political activities.
“A general amnesty is welcome as long as its elements and conditions include all of civil society, without discrimination, that it does not become a cloak of impunity, and that it contributes to dismantling the repressive apparatus of political persecution,” Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, said on social media.
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, called on Friday for the country to implement a “new judicial system” and proposed an “amnesty law” that would lead to the release of hundreds of political prisoners and turn an infamous detention center into a sports and social venue.
“May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation, violence, and extremism,” she said in an event at the Supreme Court of Justice. “May it serve to restore justice in our country and restore peaceful coexistence among Venezuelans.”
Though the interim Venezuelan government did not release the text of the bill, leaving unclear the specific criteria that will be used to determine who qualifies for amnesty, Rodriguez said it would cover cases from after 1999 but would exclude those imprisoned for killings, serious abuses of human rights and drug trafficking.
