Overview
- The National Assembly approved and Acting President Delcy Rodríguez signed a retroactive amnesty covering politically motivated prosecutions since 1999, with explicit exclusions for homicide, drug trafficking, corruption, grave human rights violations, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and certain 2019 military‑rebellion cases, as well as those promoting foreign armed actions.
- Lawmaker Jorge Arreaza said 379 prisoners have been granted amnesty and should be released imminently, adding that prosecutors have submitted petitions to the competent courts.
- Under the law, tribunals must decide on requests within 15 days; people abroad may file through lawyers but must appear in person to finalize relief, and eligibility applies only to those who have ceased the underlying actions.
- Rights groups and families press for transparent implementation, with Foro Penal counting about 448 releases since January and estimating that more than 600 people remain detained.
- Skeptics warn that politicized courts could limit relief and note continued carve‑outs for security‑force cases and recent re‑arrests, even as opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa reported he is now completely free.