The Venezuelan legislature, dominated by the ruling party, approved a limited amnesty bill on Thursday that, according to human rights organizations, does not provide relief for hundreds of political prisoners in the country, while some families of detainees entered the fifth day of a hunger strike.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who came to power last month after the U.S. forcibly removed President Nicolás Maduro, has complied with the Trump administration’s demands regarding oil sales and released hundreds of individuals classified by human rights groups as political prisoners, as part of a normalization of relations between the countries.
The government has consistently denied the existence of political prisoners, asserting that those jailed have committed crimes.
The law was passed after a second debate in the legislature, led by Rodríguez’s brother, Jorge Rodríguez. The enacted law provides amnesty for individuals involved in political protests and violent acts during a brief coup in 2002, as well as during demonstrations or elections in specified months of 2004, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Individuals convicted of military rebellion for their role in the events of 2019 are excluded.
The law does not specify the exact offenses that would qualify for amnesty, although a previous draft outlined several, including instigation of illegal activity, resistance to authorities, rebellion, and treason.
Moreover, it does not restore the property of the detained individuals, nor does it revoke the political disqualifications imposed for political reasons, nor does it eliminate sanctions against media, which at least one prior proposal would have addressed.
Many opposition members and former dissenting officials live abroad to escape arrest warrants they claim are politically motivated.
While the law allows individuals outside the country to designate a lawyer to file for amnesty on their behalf, they must appear in person in Venezuela for it to be granted, and the law will only cover “individuals who have ceased committing acts that constitute a crime,” a specification that could exclude many who have continued their activism from other countries.
The law removes international arrest warrants for those granted amnesty. Courts are mandated to decide on amnesty requests within 15 days, according to the legislation.
HUNGER STRIKE
The law does not provide amnesty for those convicted of human rights violations, war crimes, murder, drug trafficking, corruption, or anyone who promotes, supports, or commits “armed actions” against Venezuela and its people by foreign states or entities.
The government regularly accuses opposition members of collaborating with entities such as the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to undermine the country and attack its infrastructure, allegations that the opposition has consistently denied.
Chavista Attorney General Tarek William Saab told Reuters last week that he expects the amnesty to result in “a 100% pacified country,” and he also insisted that those imprisoned have committed crimes and are not political detainees, repeating claims he made in 2024 before thousands were arrested for participating in protests amid a disputed presidential election.
The ruling party holds a supermajority in the legislature, but the law received support from opposition party members, who managed to secure some amendments during committee sessions.
The law “is not perfect,” said deputy Nora Bracho from the Un Nuevo Tiempo party, urging the government to fully comply with the project, adding that it “will undoubtedly alleviate the suffering of many Venezuelans.”
The government claims that nearly 900 individuals have been released from prison in over a year, whereas the legal rights group Foro Penal has documented almost 450 releases of individuals they classify as political prisoners since January 8.
Advocacy groups, including Foro Penal, have criticized the limitations of the law. “If the amnesty isn’t as broad as we would have liked, that doesn’t mean that the fight for the freedom of all prisoners and the persecuted is over,” said Gonzalo Himiob, the vice president of Foro Penal, on X.
“Total freedom will come when the apparatus and culture of political repression are dismantled.”
In recent weeks, hundreds of students and family members of prisoners have gathered to demand releases, marking the most significant public protests in Venezuela since after the 2024 elections.
Ten relatives of detainees have participated in a hunger strike outside the police installation Zona 7 in the capital, Caracas, which began after last week’s deadline for promised releases from the facility by Jorge Rodríguez expired.
By late Thursday afternoon, only one hunger striker remained. Narwin Gil, 40, sister-in-law of detained José Gregorio Farfán, has been without food for almost six days.
Reuters