CARACAS – Venezuela’s ruling-party-controlled parliament on Thursday debated a measure that could free hundreds of opposition members, activists and human rights defenders who have been detained for months or years for political reasons.
The debate in itself was a stark turn for Venezuela, where authorities have for decades denied the country has any political prisoners. Although lawmakers approved portions of the measure, they ultimately voted to suspend the session to resolve some sticking points, including whether people who left the country to avoid detention can be granted amnesty.
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The debate is expected to resume next week.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez proposed the bill weeks after the U.S. military captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in a stunning raid Jan. 3 in the country’s capital, Caracas.
The bill's latest draft defines its purpose as "granting a general and full amnesty for crimes or offenses committed” during specific periods since 1999 that were marked by politically-driven conflicts in Venezuela, including the “acts of politically motivated violence” in the context of the 2024 presidential election.
Ruling party loyalists declared Maduro the winner of that election despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. That led to protests and the arrest of more than 2,000 people.
General amnesty has long been a central demand of Venezuela's opposition and human rights organizations, but they have viewed the proposal with cautious optimism and raised several concerns about how it will be implemented and who will be eligible for release.
Venezuela-based prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal estimates more than 600 people are in custody for political reasons.
In the days after Maduro's capture, Rodríguez's government announced it would release a significant number of prisoners. But relatives and human rights watchdogs have criticized the slow pace of releases. Foro Penal has tallied 431.
Families hoping for the release of their loves ones have spent days outside detention facilities. On Sunday, at least 30 people were freed, including several people affiliated with the political movement of Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado.
Opposition leader and Machado ally Juan Pablo Guanipa was among those released. But he was rearrested less than 12 hours later, accused of violating the conditions of his release. Authorities placed him on house arrest and never explained his alleged violation. The only two restrictions listed in his release order were monthly check-ins with a court and no travel outside Venezuela.
On Thursday, roughly 2,000 people marched on the campus of the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas to demand the release of all prisoners detained for political reasons.
In announcing the amnesty bill last month, Rodríguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders she hoped the law could help “heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism.”
“May it serve to redirect justice in our country, and may it serve to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans," she said at the time, adding that people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, corruption or human rights violations will not qualify for release.
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