People rally at the entrance of the Central University of Venezuela calling for the release of prisoners after the announcement of an amnesty law, in Caracas, Venezuela, February 3, 2026. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Feb 5 (Reuters) - An amnesty law beingconsidered in Venezuela's legislature would grant immediate clemency to people jailed for participating in political protests or critiquing public figures, a draft of the law seen by Reuters on Thursday showed.
The bill would also return assets of those detained and cancel Interpol and other international measures previously issued by the government, allowing opposition figures in exile to return home.
Venezuela's opposition and human rights groups have said for years that the government has used detentions to stamp out dissent by politicians, members of the security services, journalists and activists, chargingthem arbitrarily with crimes like terrorism and treason. The government has always denied holding political prisoners.
The amnesty law, announced last week by interim president Delcy Rodriguez, would lead to hundreds of people being released if it were to be passed in its current form and would likely please the Trump administration, which has hailed prisoner releases.
Rodriguez, who took office after the U.S. captured and deposed President Nicolas Maduro last month, has been complying with U.S. demands on oil deals. The government has also been slowly releasing people classified as political prisoners by human rights groups and the country's opposition.
The bill is set to next be debated at the National Assembly, which is controlled by the socialist ruling party.Delcy Rodriguez's brother Jorge Rodriguez, the head of the assembly, is expected to read the bill's introduction at a Thursday session. It must be approved in two votes in order to pass.
The assembly has repeatedly passed laws in recent years that the government has said are meant to curb foreign influence and "fascism" in the country, including restrictions onthe activitiesof NGOs and a ban from public office of people found to have promoted U.S. sanctions.
According to the draft, the amnesty will cover crimes committed betweenJanuary 1, 1999, and the date that the law comes into force, and will be applied immediately to people who acted peacefully or who have health concerns. It would not provide amnestyfor those convicted of human rights violations, war crimes, murder, corruption or drug trafficking.
PROTESTS AND DEFAMATION
Other alleged crimes, including instigation of illegal activity, resistance to authorities, property damage, rebellion, treason, and illegal carrying of weapons will all be covered by the amnesty if they were committed in the context of political protests, the draft said, specifying that it would include mass protests that rocked the country and led to deaths in 2007, 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2024.
Those latest marches, in 2024, took place after a contested election that Venezuela's opposition and international observers say the opposition roundly won. The government and judicial authorities backed Maduro, swearing him in for a third term.
The bill would also cover those accused of defamation if the act took placein the context of criticizing authorities.
The law wouldlift Interpol red notices and movement restrictions against people who have committed crimes covered by the amnesty, the draft said, "guaranteeing the safe and persecution-free return of Venezuelan citizens who are abroad."
Many members of the opposition and dissident former officials live in other countries to escape arrest warrants they say are politically motivated.
Also revoked by the law would be public office bans for political reasons and sanctionsagainst media outlets.
Rights group Foro Penal says it has verified that383 political prisoners have been freed since the government announced a new series of releases on January 8. It says more than 680remain jailed, an updated count including prisoners whose fearful families had not previously reported their detentions.
The government has always deniedholding political prisoners and says those jailed have committed crimes. Government officials have said the number of releases is nearly 900, but have not been clear about the timeline and appear to be including those freed in previous years.
Among the long-time advocates of releases and amnesty is Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who has several close allies imprisoned, includingopposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa and lawyer Perkins Rocha.
(Reporting by Reuters, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
