Latest information on Spanish
Venezuelan lawmakers on Thursday passed a new bill granting amnesty to hundreds of people charged or convicted for political reasons during the country’s 27-year dictatorship.
Rights groups and opposition politicians have cautiously welcomed the law, saying it offers an opportunity to alleviate suffering for many people, but the process must be transparent and accountable.
Some believe the bill did not go far enough, with others questioning whether amending one of its provisions would prevent pardons for exiled activists and opposition members.
Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president who came to power after a US military operation removed President Nicolás Maduro, proposed a new amnesty law last month under pressure from Washington.
After signing the amnesty law, she called this moment “an extraordinary door for Venezuela to reunify, for Venezuela to learn to coexist democratically and peacefully, to get rid of hatred and intolerance, and to open to human rights.”
Many in Venezuela, and in the United States, will be watching closely to see if the remaining political prisoners in the country will be released soon.
This law grants amnesty to political prisoners who have been processed or convicted since 1999, after President Hugo Chávez took office. This includes numerous opposition figures, activists, journalists, students, and others detained during protests in 2014, 2017, 2019, and beyond.
However, the amnesty specifically excludes those convicted or charged with murder, drug trafficking, corruption, gross human rights violations, crimes against humanity, or war crimes. Rep. Jorge Arreaza, who introduced the bill, emphasized these carve-outs to ensure that the measure does not protect serious crimes.
A document released by parliament describes the law as a means to “heal the deep wounds” caused by political conflict and promote peaceful coexistence.
Human rights groups say hundreds of political prisoners remain in detention, and many of those released so far face restrictions and conditions such as travel bans, regular court appearances, and gag orders.
In Caracas, thousands of students staged an unprecedented large-scale protest on February 12, during parliamentary deliberations on the bill, demanding the unconditional release of political prisoners and an end to what they saw as persecution of political dissidents.
The government announced last month that it would release a “significant number” of prisoners in response to US pressure. More than 400 people have been released since then, according to human rights group Foro Penar, but that number is behind the official figure of more than 800. Those released include a mother and her six-month-old baby who were born in prison, the opposition announced Thursday.
No official public list of those released has been published, but Rodriguez said he would invite the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to confirm the releases.
If fully passed, the law could trigger immediate mass releases, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez has assured families that releases will occur quickly after approval.
The bill passed its first reading unanimously earlier this month, then moved to public consultation before a final vote.
Opposition and rights groups’ reactions
“My only option is to fight for freedom,” says released Venezuelan political prisoner
Opposition leader Maria Colina Machado said the proposed amnesty was the result of “real pressure” from the United States, which has demanded the release of all political prisoners since the ouster of President Maduro. Machado hopes this will free hundreds of remaining detainees, but he doubts Delcy Rodriguez’s ability to lead a real transition.
Rights groups are also expressing cautious optimism. Foro Detective President Alfredo Romero said any pardon would be “welcome” if it was comprehensive, non-discriminatory, free from impunity and contributed to the dismantling of political persecution mechanisms.
The Venezuelan Human Rights Education Action Plan said the pardon should not be considered an “amnesty” or state favor, given that many detainees were arbitrarily imprisoned for exercising rights protected by the constitution and international law.
Foro Deputy Commissioner of Prisons Gonzalo Himiob added that a pardon does not mean an admission of guilt or criminal responsibility.
Some have questioned whether the law truly guarantees freedom for former detainees. Those concerns were heightened earlier this month when Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa, who spent eight months as a political prisoner, was rearrested just hours after his release.
Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Guanipa was being held on charges of “calling people to the streets,” a clear violation of the conditions of his release.
Opposition parties condemned the move, with the Alianza Bravo Pueblo party saying, “The so-called amnesty, the false pretense of dialogue, is dead before it was born.”
Guanipa is currently under house arrest.
Closure and reuse of El Helicoide
Along with the amnesty bill, the government announced last month that it would close and repurpose the notorious El Helicoid detention center in central Caracas. Once envisioned as a futuristic shopping mall, the spiral-shaped building became synonymous with repression under Maduro, housing the headquarters of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and housing many political detainees.
Reports from former prisoners and human rights groups describe overcrowding in cells, poor hygiene, extortion, and abuse. Rodriguez said the facility will no longer function as a prison and will be transformed into a “center of social, sporting, cultural and commercial services” for the community.
The move represents a shift from the repressive attitudes of the time, but some critics argue that the site should be preserved as a memorial site for the victims rather than being reused commercially.
The amnesty push comes against the backdrop of the fragile situation in post-Maduro Venezuela, as the proxy government under Rodríguez navigates U.S. pressure, economic challenges and demands for stability.
If enacted as promised, this law, and the anticipated closure of El Helicoid, could represent concrete progress toward easing political tensions. But rights groups say the lasting impact on Venezuela’s pursuit of peace and democratic coexistence will depend on implementation, public transparency and widespread reforms.
