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Venezuela announces amnesty bill that could lead to mass release of political prisoners

Delcy Rodríguez's amnesty law covers political violence since 1999 and aims to repurpose El Helicoide prison into community sports and cultural facilities.

  • Venezuela's acting President, Delcy Rodríguez, announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners and also announced the closure and repurposing of Helicoide prison in Caracas.
  • Previously, Rodríguez took the reins on Jan. 3 after a brazen seizure of Nicolás Maduro, and her government this month has tallied 302 releases since Jan. 8; the ruling party-controlled National Assembly will urgently consider the bill.
  • The bill covers political violence from 1999 to the present, but convictions for murder, drug trafficking, corruption or human rights violations will not qualify and the bill text was not released on Friday.
  • Foro Penal says 711 people are detained for political activities, while Provea and relatives of detainees have condemned the slow, nontransparent pace of releases this month.
  • Rights groups warned the amnesty must not become a `cloak of impunity`, with Alfredo Romero urging inclusivity and dismantling political persecution while Provea called for urgent detainee releases.
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Lean Left

Are we facing a Venezuelan spring? The announcement of an amnesty for political prisoners in Venezuela raises expectations of a new era. At the same time, interim president Delcy Rodríguez faces a difficult balancing act.

·Stockholm, Sweden
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Lean Left

Delcy Rodríguez will also close the Caracas prison where Maduro's secret service tortured political prisoners.

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Lean Left

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, announced on Friday that she would submit a comprehensive amnesty law that would cover all political prisoners dating back to the Hugo Chávez era. The move is considered one of the most significant reforms since the US capture of Nicolás Maduro. “This law will heal the wounds caused by political violence and put justice back on the right track,” Rodríguez said in a speech before Venezuela’s Supreme…

·Hungary
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Center

The president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has celebrated the announcement of an amnesty law...

·Spain
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Reuters broke the news in United Kingdom on Friday, January 30, 2026.
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