The National Assembly (AN, Parliament) of Venezuela unanimously approved this Thursday a historic amnesty law for political prisoners convicted in episodes of political crisis between 2002 and 2025 and which excludes people who promoted or participated in armed or forceful actions against the citizens, sovereignty and integrity of the South American country.
Article 9 of the new legislation excludes from the application of the amnesty crimes involving serious violations of human rights, crimes against humanity, intentional homicide, very serious injuries, drug trafficking, as well as crimes provided for in the anti-corruption law.
Likewise, it establishes the exclusion of people who are or may be prosecuted or convicted for “promoting, instigating, requesting, invoking, favoring, facilitating, financing or participating in armed or force actions against the people, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Venezuela by “States, corporations or foreign persons.”
An umbrella covering protesters against the coup d’état against Chávez and subsequent protests
The deputies approved granting amnesty for acts or “mistakes committed” during different episodes of political crisis that occurred between 2002 and 2025, such as the coup d’état against the late President Hugo Chávez in April 2002, the oil strike at the end of that year and beginning of 2003 and the anti-government protests of 2013, 2017 and 2024.
In addition, a special commission was appointed that will develop and implement “mechanisms” to ensure compliance with the law, which has already been sent to the president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, for signature and subsequent publication in the Official Gazette.
This amnesty proposal is part of the “new political moment” announced by Rodríguez, who assumed the Executive after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro during the US military attack on January 3.
The NGO Foro Penal counts 644 political prisoners in the country, after more than 400 releases in the midst of a process initiated on January 8 by the Government in charge.
