Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, on Friday unveiled plans for a sweeping amnesty bill that could result in the release of hundreds of prisoners, including those detained for political reasons, in what marks a significant policy shift under her leadership.
Speaking at an official event, Rodríguez said the proposed “general amnesty law” will cover politically motivated cases dating back to 1999 and is intended to promote national reconciliation and coexistence after years of political strife.
She explained that the draft legislation will be submitted to the National Assembly urgently.
“May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fuelled by violence and extremism,” Rodríguez said in the prerecorded televised address.
“May it serve to redirect justice in our country, and may it serve to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans.”
The New Indian Express
Rodríguez also announced the planned closure of El Helicoide, the Caracas facility long associated with human rights abuses.
She said the site will be converted into a sports, social and cultural centre for local communities, signalling an end to its use as a detention centre.
The New Indian Express
Human rights organisations have documented alleged torture and other abuses at El Helicoide in past years, and rights groups have welcomed the move while also urging transparency in implementation.
The Venezuelan prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal estimates that some 711 individuals remain detained across the country on charges tied to political activities, with 183 of those convicted as of late January 2026.
Reactions to the amnesty proposal have been mixed. Alfredo Romero of Foro Penal noted that “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.”
Rodríguez’s announcement follows weeks of incremental prisoner releases, with human rights groups reporting several hundred freed since early January, though they maintain many more remain behind bars.
The amnesty initiative comes amid broader political shifts in Venezuela after the US-led capture of former President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, moves that have intensified international focus on the country’s political and human rights landscape.
