Delcy Rodríguez, acting president of Venezuela, declared last Thursday that the Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence "is coming to an end," just two months after its enactment and as human rights organizations report that 473 political prisoners remain incarcerated.
The announcement was made during the installation of the Commission for the Great National Consultation on Criminal Justice Reform, held at the Miraflores Palace, and it took by surprise the main Venezuelan human rights organizations, which immediately rejected it, according to DW.
Rodríguez did not provide legal details regarding the termination mechanism, but noted that the "expressly excluded" cases in the law could be channeled through other avenues.
"This amnesty law that is coming to an end, well, for those cases that were not included, or rather, were explicitly excluded from the amnesty law, there are other avenues where they can be addressed," stated the acting leader, according to EVTV.
The main issue pointed out by organizations is that the law, ratified on February 19, does not include any expiration date, meaning the Executive has no authority to declare it concluded.
Provea described the measure as "arbitrary and unconstitutional" and pointed out that it "does not contribute to the process of coexistence and peace that has been announced."
Access to Justice was more precise: it argued that the regulation can only be repealed "by another law of equal rank" enacted by Parliament or by a ruling of nullity from the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, and that "the interference of the national Executive in this case, both in legislative and judicial competences, violates the constitutional principles of the separation of powers."
Justice, Encounter, and Forgiveness described the announcement as "a violation of the rule of law" and warned that it leaves "victims in absolute vulnerability" by instructing the courts de facto to dismiss freedom requests "based on a premise that does not exist in the legal framework."
The Chavista regime, for its part, defends the process: the deputy Jorge Arreaza, president of the parliamentary oversight committee, reported on Wednesday that 8,616 people had been granted amnesty, of which only 314 were incarcerated and the rest were under protective measures.
However, the Foro Penal verified only 768 releases of political prisoners since January 8, 2026, a figure significantly lower than that proclaimed by the government, noted Infobae. Furthermore, the organization warned that the law only covered 13 specific political events, excluding hundreds of detainees, including 187 military personnel accused of rebellion.
The Venezuelan authorities never released an official list of those benefited, despite requests from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and multiple non-governmental organizations.
Families of political prisoners have been holding continuous vigils in front of prisons such as El Rodeo I and El Helicoide since January 8, 2026, and on April 19, they marked 100 days of protests denouncing that the amnesty has progressed "very slowly."
"Unfortunately, this outcome confirms our initial concern: the law turned out to be more of a political rhetoric exercise than a genuine instrument to restore freedom to political prisoners," concluded Justice, Encounter, and Forgiveness.
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