Venezuela’s legislature advanced an amnesty bill put forward by acting President Delcy Rodríguez that could, if approved and signed, broaden releases for people detained for political reasons. The measure has drawn cautious optimism from human rights organizations, which said the bill has not yet been made public and that key details about eligibility and safeguards remain unclear.
Rodríguez proposed the amnesty as part of a political reset that opposition figures and rights groups have long sought, according to the AP report. The legislation has been described as having potential to reach opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists held in connection with political confrontation, though the AP said its contents have not been released publicly.
Late last month, Rodríguez announced the bill at a televised event with a broad range of officials, including justices, magistrates, ministers and military leaders. She said in a pre-taped address that the proposed law should “serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism,” and she added that it should “serve to redirect justice in our country, and may it serve to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans.”
The process moving forward includes another legislative step. The AP reported that the National Assembly, which is controlled by Rodríguez’s ruling party, still has to schedule and hold a second debate on the amnesty bill. After that second debate, Rodríguez would need to sign the legislation for it to go into effect.
Human rights groups have pushed for more information before the bill advances further. The AP said those groups are concerned that some political detainees could be excluded from any eventual relief, and they called for the bill text and requirements to be disclosed urgently.
The AP reported that the amnesty, based on what is known so far, would cover a broad timeline spanning the administrations of late President Hugo Chávez, from 1999 to 2013, and of Chávez’s political heir Nicolás Maduro, until this year. The AP also said reports indicate the measure would exclude people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, and serious human rights violations.
The AP report highlighted the Venezuelan Program for Education-Action in Human Rights, known as PROVEA, saying it issued a statement emphasizing that the bill must be made public urgently. PROVEA’s statement, the AP said, cited the potential impact the legislation could have on victims’ rights and on broader Venezuelan society.