The president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, stated this Friday that “all detained” individuals considered political prisoners will be released on the same day that the amnesty bill is definitively approved, a process he estimated will occur “between next Tuesday and at the latest Friday.”
Rodríguez made the announcement in front of family members gathered at the police command "Zona 7" in Caracas, where vigils have been held for weeks demanding the release of prisoners.
According to the report, the Parliament —with a significant chavista majority— approved on Thursday the project in the first vote, and the regulation must go through a second discussion to be enacted. “Once that law is approved, everyone will be released that same day,” affirmed Rodríguez, who insisted to the families: “Between next Tuesday and, at the latest, Friday, everyone will be free.”
Rodríguez arrived at the location accompanied by the ruling party deputy Jorge Arreaza, who presented the bill before Parliament.
In images broadcast on state television, family members surrounded the deputies; several mothers and wives reported on the conditions of confinement, lack of access to medical treatments, and alleged procedural irregularities, including cases of individuals imprisoned for months without being presented before courts.
Rodríguez promised to “correct” the “errors” made, requested to compile a list of family members to follow up on the cases, and said he would return to the police station on Monday to hear them out.
The amnesty project, as presented in the parliamentary briefing cited by EFE, excludes those prosecuted or convicted for serious human rights violations, crimes against humanity, war crimes, intentional homicide, corruption, and drug trafficking, among other offenses.
The NGO Foro Penal estimates the total number of political prisoners in Venezuela to be 687, according to the same report.
In parallel, the text places the promise of total liberation within a process of releases that began on January 8, when Rodríguez announced the release of a "significant number" of detainees.
Foro Penal has reportedly confirmed at least 383 releases since that date, while the interim Government has mentioned 895 releases without publishing official lists.
The amnesty law was proposed last week by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, in the context of a political "opening" and measures announced as part of a reconciliation agenda, according to recent international reports.
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