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Venezuela Pushes Amnesty Rollout as Rodríguez Seeks Backing and NGO Tallies Diverge

Conflicting counts and reports of court refusals cast doubt on a process the government presents as national reconciliation.

Overview

  • Acting President Delcy Rodríguez urged support for the amnesty initiative in a televised meeting with victims of political violence, warning of efforts abroad to derail it.
  • The parliamentary commission overseeing implementation said 179 people have been released from prison since the law took effect and courts have received 4,293 petitions.
  • Commission chief Jorge Arreaza also reported roughly 3,000 people with conditional status were granted full liberty under the law sanctioned on February 19.
  • Foro Penal reported lower figures, verifying 109 releases since the amnesty’s promulgation and 540 total freed since early January, underscoring a disputed tally.
  • Lawyers and applicants described refusals and delays when filing petitions, as the non-automatic law requires case-by-case court rulings and excludes crimes such as homicide, drug trafficking, grave human-rights abuses and military rebellion.