More than 1,500 detainees seek release under Venezuela’s new amnesty law

​​​​​​​By Fatma Zehra Solmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) -More than 1,500 people in Venezuela detained for political reasons have filed for amnesty under a newly enacted law and are slated for release, authorities announced Saturday.

"As of yesterday, there were 405 applications from people deprived of liberty. Today, an additional 1,152 applications were received, bringing the total to 1,557. These are being addressed immediately, and at this moment hundreds of people deprived of liberty are already being released under the amnesty law," said National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez.

The measure approved Thursday is expected to benefit opposition members, activists, journalists and others. Its passage marks a shift by authorities, who have long denied holding political prisoners, and comes after last month’s US military raid in Caracas that captured President Nicolas Maduro.

The legislation does not apply to individuals convicted of homicide, drug trafficking, grave human rights abuses or military rebellion.

Rights groups have urged authorities to extend the measure to all those detained for political reasons, regardless of whether they are formally included.

“It is discriminatory and unconstitutional to exclude imprisoned military personnel and persecuted political figures,” Alfredo Romero, head of Foro Penal, wrote Saturday on US social media platform X, adding that without measure, “there can be no talk of national coexistence.”

Rodriguez added that the law also applies to people who had been under alternative detention arrangements, such as reporting requirements or house arrest, and “the law provides for these alternative measures to be lifted so that individuals can enjoy full freedom.”

He noted that “authorities are processing the requests of more than 11,000 people who were under alternative detention regimes within the justice system, and those 11,000 individuals will be reviewed by the Dennis Law monitoring committee.”

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez described the measure during the bill’s signing as evidence that the nation’s political leaders were “letting go of a little intolerance and opening new avenues for politics in Venezuela.”