The government of Venezuela, led by interim president Delcy Rodríguez, announced the beginning of the renovation of El Helicoide, an old detention center in Caracas known for allegations of torture and other human rights violations, to transform it into a social, commercial, and community center.
The Minister of Public Works, Juan José Ramírez, reported in a video shared on social media that the project was developed, consulted, and approved in less than a month. “It has already been approved and will begin its execution phase,” he affirmed, fulfilling the commitment made by the acting president.
The Ministry of Popular Power for Communication and Information, the entity producing the audiovisual, stated that the venue will be transformed for the enjoyment of "the police family and the surrounding communities."
The announcement comes weeks after Rodríguez requested the closure of the venue and proposed its transformation alongside the approval of an Amnesty Law for political prisoners from 2002 to 2025.
The structure, conceived in the 1950s as a shopping center but left unfinished, later served as the headquarters for the feared Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and the Bolivarian National Police (PNB).
Opponents and human rights organizations have denounced it as a torture center, while the Independent International Mission of the UN for Venezuela has documented systematic cases of abuse and violations. The Chávez regime has repeatedly denied these accusations.
The NGO Foro Penal recently estimated that more than 640 individuals remain detained for political reasons, and warned that around 400 could be excluded from the newly approved Amnesty Law.
The Venezuelan government maintains that there are no political prisoners in the country and that those detained have committed common crimes, a stance rejected by opposition sectors and civil organizations.
This modus operandi of masking the repression of dissent and opposition with sanctions for common crimes is commonly applied in Cuba, where there are over a thousand people incarcerated for political reasons.
The regime of the island has begun the withdrawal of its presence in Venezuela, following the shift experienced by the Venezuelan government, its ideological ally, after the capture and transfer to the United States of the dictator Nicolás Maduro on January 3rd.
The closure of El Helicoide was announced by Rodríguez on January 30, during an event at the Supreme Court of Justice, when she promised to present a general amnesty law "to promote coexistence in Venezuela."
The law was unanimously approved by the National Assembly, chaired by Jorge Rodríguez, brother of the interim president, and excludes crimes such as serious human rights violations, intentional homicide, drug trafficking, and armed actions against sovereignty.
During the debate, the president of the Assembly also acknowledged a "misuse" of the Constitutional Law Against Hate, for Peaceful Coexistence and Tolerance, and it was announced that it could be subject to reform. This legal instrument has repeatedly been identified as a mechanism of political repression by the Chavista power.
The start of the redevelopment of El Helicoide is part of a series of official announcements and measures aimed at promoting a process of national reconciliation and stability following the armed intervention of the U.S. on January 3rd.
Since that date, the commercial, diplomatic, and even military contacts between the Venezuelan and U.S. governments have increased.
The scope and projections of Delcy Rodríguez's interim presidency regarding a democratic transformation of the country continue to be surrounded by many questions and uncertainties, particularly from the perspective of opposition political forces.
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