Case Explained:This article breaks down the legal background, charges, and implications of Case Explained: Venezuela acting president signs amnesty law aimed at releasing political detainees – JURIST – Legal Perspective
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday signed into law an amnesty measure that authorities say is intended to ease political tensions and accelerate the release of political prisoners.
The law, titled the Amnesty Bill for Democratic Coexistence, authorizes a “general and full” amnesty for people prosecuted or convicted for political or related offences. The scope of the bill reaches back to the start of the Chávez era and extends through late January 2026. Rodríguez presented the bill as a step towards willingness among political actors to reduce intolerance and reopen avenues for political participation.
However, the amnesty is not unlimited. The law excludes serious offenses including crimes against humanity and war crimes, intentional homicide, drug trafficking, and crimes involving public property; media reports also describe carve-outs for conduct linked to military rebellion or collaboration with foreign forceful actions. The legislation further calls for police to halt covered investigations, for pending proceedings to be dismissed, and for relevant files to be released from police archives for beneficiaries.
Human rights organizations and relatives of detainees have urged the government to translate announcements into rapid, verifiable releases. Families have camped outside detention facilities and staged demonstrations demanding information and timelines, while watchdogs have criticized both delays and restrictive conditions reportedly imposed on some individuals after leaving custody.
UN human rights experts welcomed the Amnesty Bill as a significant step for victims, families, and Venezuelan society, but stressed that meaningful remedies require the law to expressly cover all those arbitrarily detained or prosecuted for exercising fundamental freedoms, including human rights defenders. They also cautioned that people driven into exile should not be compelled to return unless and until there is a clear determination that the amnesty applies to their case.
The measure is the latest shift under an interim administration that took shape after a January 3 US military operation in Caracas captured then-President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, leaving Rodríguez, previously vice president, at the head of government.