The Venezuelan Parliament passed an amnesty law for political prisoners retroactively from 1999, excluding those accused of “armed acts,” raising hopes from the families of detainees and fears of selective implementation.

Published on: 02/20/2026 - 03:52

On Thursday, the Venezuelan Parliament unanimously approved an amnesty law that allows for the release of political prisoners in the country, less than two months after the United States arrested President Nicolas Maduro. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez signed the new law, and she pushed it forward under clear pressure from Washington.

However, the legislation excludes anyone who is considered to have “encouraged” “armed actions” against Venezuela, which may exclude a number of the most prominent opposition figures, including its leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who announced her support for the American military operation on January 3.

The law is supposed to apply retroactively to include events dating back to 1999, including the coup against President Hugo Chavez, the 2002 oil sector strike, and the riots that followed Maduro’s re-election in 2024, which revives the hopes of many families to see their relatives eventually released from prison.

Read also: The Venezuelan parliament postpones the general amnesty law amid American pressure and protest from the families of political prisoners

On the other hand, there are fears that the authorities will use this law for the purpose of pardoning officials and individuals close to the government, in exchange for selectively keeping true prisoners of conscience behind bars. Article Nine stipulates the exclusion of anyone who is tried, convicted, or may be prosecuted on charges of promoting, inciting, financing, or participating in armed or coercive actions against the Venezuelan people or the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity with the support of foreign parties.

Human rights organizations estimate that hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of Venezuelans have been imprisoned over the past years on charges of conspiring to overthrow the Maduro government, who was arrested with his wife in the American operation in Caracas and transferred to New York to be tried in drug-related cases.

France 24/AFP

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