Venezuela’s interim president announces a proposed amnesty law for prisoners and plans to convert the infamous Helicoide detention centre.
CARACAS: Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez has announced a proposed “amnesty law” for hundreds of prisoners.
Rodriguez also stated the government will convert the infamous Helicoide detention centre in Caracas into a sports and social services facility.
“May it be a law that serves to heal the wounds left by political confrontation, violence, and extremism,” she said at an event at the Supreme Court of Justice.
READ MORE: Venezuela frees dozens of political prisoners amid US pressure
The proposed law could affect hundreds of current detainees and former prisoners conditionally released.
It will cover cases from 1999 until today but excludes those involved in killings, serious human rights abuses, and drug trafficking.
The Helicoide prison is a long-standing symbol of alleged government repression.
A 2022 United Nations report claimed Venezuela’s security agencies subjected detainees there to torture, which the government rejected.
Relatives of prisoners have held vigils outside the prison in recent weeks demanding their release.
Families and rights advocates demand charges against those considered political prisoners be wiped.
Opposition figures, dissident security members, journalists, and activists often face charges like terrorism and treason.
Rights group Foro Penal says it has verified 303 liberations of political prisoners since January 8.
Government officials deny holding political prisoners and claim over 600 releases, though the timeline is unclear.
Families say releases have progressed too slowly, and Foro Penal says 711 political prisoners remain jailed.
“A general amnesty is welcome provided that its terms and conditions include all of civil society,” said Foro Penal director Alfredo Romero on X.
Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has long advocated for releases and amnesty.
The recent releases were announced after the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro on narcoterrorism charges. – Reuters