Venezuela's Acting President Announces General Amnesty

SadaNews - Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez announced a general amnesty late on Friday, less than a month after American forces arrested President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.

Rodriguez stated before the Supreme Court, "We have decided to propose a law for a general amnesty covering the entire period of political violence from 1999 to today," explaining that the draft law will be presented to parliament. She added, "It will be a law aimed at healing the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism. This allows for justice to be put back on the right track in our country and to resume coexistence among Venezuelans."

Rodriguez also pledged to close Helicoide prison, which is described by the opposition and human rights activists as a torture center, saying, "We have decided that the Helicoide facilities currently used as a detention center will become a social, sports, and cultural center." The acting president of Venezuela also announced her intention to organize "a broad national consultation for a new judicial system."

The speech was attended by prominent government figures, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodriguez, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, and Attorney General Tarek William Saab. Days after President Nicolas Maduro was arrested by a U.S. special force on January 3 and taken for trial in the United States on drug trafficking charges, the Venezuelan government promised, under U.S. pressure, to release political prisoners, but the releases are happening in small, sporadic batches.

According to the non-governmental organization "Forbinal," which specializes in defending political prisoners, there are at least 711 political prisoners in Venezuelan jails, including 65 foreigners. According to the authorities, more than 800 political prisoners have been released without being labeled as such, stressing that the releases began before Maduro's arrest.

For her part, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado considered the presidential announcement a result of "U.S. pressure." The Nobel Peace Prize laureate stated on social media from neighboring Colombia, "This is not a voluntary act from the regime, but a response to pressures from the U.S. government. I hope that the prisoners will soon be able to meet their families."

The new head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Venezuela, Laura Dogu, will arrive in Caracas on Saturday as part of the effort to restore relations between the two countries, according to a diplomatic source confirmed to Agence France-Presse. Dogu was appointed on January 22, marking a turning point in relations between Washington and Caracas, which have been severed since 2019.