Venezuela’s Assembly Backs Broad Amnesty on First Vote, Final Passage Pledged Next Week

Overview

• The chavista-controlled National Assembly approved the amnesty bill unanimously in its first reading and opened a consultation phase before a required second vote.
• Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez pledged a definitive vote on Tuesday and promised that all political prisoners would be freed by Friday.
• The proposal covers offenses from 1999 to 2026 tied to political protests and criticism of officials, restores confiscated assets, lifts Interpol red notices, and allows exiles to return.
• The text excludes crimes such as serious human-rights violations, crimes against humanity, war crimes, homicide, corruption, and drug trafficking, while controversially extending coverage to some actions by judges, prosecutors, and officials.
• Rights groups warn of vague language that could enable impunity as the ICC continues probing alleged crimes in Venezuela since 2017, with civil society reporting hundreds released and many still detained.