The head of the Venezuelan National Assembly said Saturday that 17 political prisoners were released "deprived of their liberty in Zona 7," referring to the National Police detention center in the capital, Caracas. This announcement comes in parallel with the ongoing discussions to approve the general amnesty law, but relatives of detainees have not currently monitored any release process. Parliament postponed the approval of this law on Friday due to lack of consensus, and the approval session is scheduled to be held next week.
Published on: 02/14/2026 - 09:22 Last updated: 02/14/2026 - 10:29
17 political prisoners were released in parallel with the ongoing discussions to approve a general amnesty law, according to what the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly announced on Saturday.
“Within the framework of the amnesty law, at this time 17 people deprived of their liberty in Zona 7 are being released,” Jorge Rodriguez wrote on social networks, referring to the National Police detention center in the capital, Caracas.
Read also: The Venezuelan parliament postpones the general amnesty law amid American pressure and protest from the families of political prisoners
Jorge Rodriguez is the brother of President Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed her duties after an American special force arrested President Nicolas Maduro in an operation that took place on January 3.
Relatives of detainees reported via WhatsApp that they had not, at present, observed any release of detainees in “Zona 7.” These families have been protesting in front of the police headquarters since the President announced on January 8 the first release of political prisoners.
Under American pressure, on January 30, Rodriguez presented a broad amnesty bill covering 27 years of Chavista rule inherited from the approach of former President Hugo Chavez.
Jorge Rodriguez promised the families a week ago during a visit to the prison that their relatives would be released as soon as the law was passed.
However, Parliament postponed the adoption of the law on Friday due to the lack of consensus on the extent of the amnesty and the role of the judiciary in implementing it, and the approval session is scheduled to be held next week.
According to the non-governmental organization Foro Penal, 431 political prisoners have benefited from conditional release, while 644 are still behind bars.
France 24/AFP
Keywords related to the article
The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.
