Venezuela acting President Delcy Rodríguez announces amnesty bill

Hundreds of political prisoners in Venezuela, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists, could soon be released under an amnesty bill announced by the country’s acting president on Friday.

The move represents the latest concession by Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez since the capture of the country’s former leader Nicolás Maduro by the United States on January 3.

Rodriguez told a group of judges, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the National Assembly, controlled by the ruling party, would immediately consider the bill, the Associated Press reported.

“Let this law serve to heal the wounds inflicted by political conflict fueled by violence and extremism,” he said at the pre-recorded televised event, according to the AP. “May it serve to reorient justice in our country and may it serve to reorient coexistence among Venezuelans.”

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Rodriguez said the amnesty bill would cover “the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present” and that those imprisoned for murder, drug trafficking, corruption or human rights violations would not be eligible for aid, the AP reported.

In addition to the amnesty law, Rodriguez also announced the closure of Venezuela’s notorious El Helicoide prison in Caracas. Torture and other human rights violations have been documented repeatedly at El Helicoide. According to the information obtained, the facility is planned to be transformed into a sports, social and cultural center.

Alfredo Romero, president of Venezuela’s leading prisoner rights organization, Foro Penal, welcomed the law but also expressed some doubts.

“A General Amnesty is always welcome, as long as its elements and conditions cover all civil society without discrimination, do not become a cloak of impunity, and contribute to the dismantling of the repressive apparatus of political persecution,” Romero said. he said. Publish on X.

Relatives of detainees gather near El Helicoide, a detention center and headquarters of the intelligence service in Caracas, Venezuela, on Friday, January 30, 2026. On the same day, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

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Relatives of some prisoners streamed Rodríguez’s speech live on the phone as they gathered outside Helicide, according to the AP.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado said in a statement that the moves were made “not voluntarily, but in response to pressure from the US government,” the AP reported. He also noted that people detained for their political activities were detained for a period between one month and 23 years.

According to the AP report, Foro Penal estimates that there are 711 political prisoners in Venezuela, 183 of whom are convicted. Leading opposition figures who were detained and remain in prison after the 2024 elections include former lawmaker Freddy Superlano, Machado’s lawyer Perkins Rocha, and Juan Pablo Guanipa, a former governor and one of Machado’s closest allies, the publication said.

Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez speaks under a framed photo of former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores during the opening ceremony of the new judicial year at the Supreme Court of Justice in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, January 30, 2026. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

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On Friday evening, Venezuela released all American citizens known to be held in the country.

“We are pleased to confirm that all US citizens known to be held in Venezuela have been released by interim authorities,” the US embassy said. He wrote to X. “If you have information about additional U.S. citizens still in custody, please contact U.S. Civil Service.”

Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.