Interim authorities in Venezuela have approved the release of 379 political prisoners under a new amnesty law adopted after Maduro’s ousting
Venezuelan authorities have approved amnesty measures for 379 political prisoners after a law adopted by the country’s National Assembly raised hopes of imminent releases. The announcement came as interim authorities moved ahead with the process triggered after the US-led toppling of Nicolas Maduro.
National Assembly deputy Jorge Arreaza, who is overseeing the amnesty, said in a televised interview that the detained individuals “must be released and granted amnesty, between tonight and tomorrow morning”.
“Requests have been submitted by the Public Prosecutor’s Office to the competent courts to grant amnesty measures,” he said.
Concerns over exclusions in the new law
Opposition figures have criticised the legislation for excluding several offences that authorities previously used to prosecute Maduro’s opponents. The law does not apply to those accused of “promoting” or “facilitating… armed or forceful actions” involving foreign actors against Venezuelan sovereignty.
Delcy Rodriguez has levelled such allegations at opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who remains in the United States but hopes to return to Venezuela.
Members of the security forces convicted of charges linked to “terrorism” are also excluded from the amnesty.
Outside Rodeo 1 prison near Caracas, Hiowanka Avila, 39, said her brother Henryberth Rivas, 30, detained in 2018 over an alleged assassination attempt on Maduro using armed drones, was among those not covered. Arreaza said cases involving the armed forces would be handled by the military justice system and “benefits where appropriate” could follow.
Families wait as releases begin nationwide
Families have gathered outside prisons across Venezuela for weeks, hoping loved ones would be freed. Interim President Rodriguez’s government has already granted conditional release to hundreds of detainees since the US raid that seized Maduro.
Before the amnesty announcement, rights group Foro Penal estimated around 650 political prisoners remained, though it has not updated its tally.
Foro Penal director Alfredo Romero said that receiving amnesty “is not automatic” and must proceed through courts that many view as instruments of Maduro-era repression.
Rodriguez defended the process on state television, saying, “We are building a more democratic, more just, and freer Venezuela, and it must be with the effort of everyone.”
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