Delcy Rodríguez, announced, on Thursday, the end of the amnesty, two months after the approval of the law, without giving details or explaining what the end of the law means, which was enacted on February 19 and which does not provide for an expiration date
The Amnesty Law remains in full force in Venezuela and has already benefited almost nine thousand people, announced deputy Jorge Arreaza, president of the parliamentary committee that monitors the application of the law.
“The Amnesty Law remains in force. Requests will continue to be accepted”, announced Arreaza on the social network X, one day after the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, announced the end of the amnesty.
Arreaza highlighted that the legal instrument “benefited practically everyone it could cover” and that is why “the president opens alternative mechanisms to analyze cases through other means”.
“The Amnesty Law benefited almost nine thousand people: a great contribution to peace. The few requests that have not yet been presented will be received by the courts”, he highlighted.
On the other hand, Arreaza accused critics of the law of contradicting themselves.
“One day they attack the Amnesty Law, the next day they blame it for all the ills of the Republic. But then they miss it and demand that it come back into force. Reach an agreement!” he wrote.
Delcy Rodríguez, announced, on Thursday, the end of the amnesty, two months after the approval of the law, without giving details or explaining what the end of the law means, which was enacted on February 19 and which does not provide for an expiration date.
The head of state assured that cases that “were expressly excluded” from the amnesty can be dealt with in other forums, such as the Peace and Democratic Coexistence Program and the Criminal Justice Reform Commission, also created on Thursday.
Several Venezuelan non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reacted to the announcement and accused Delcy Rodríguez of violating the rule of law.
“The recent announcement about the repeal of the Amnesty Law constitutes a serious violation of the Rule of Law”, said the NGO Encontro, Justiça e Perdão (EJP), on the social network X.
“A law of this nature does not have implicit temporal limits nor can it be revoked by an administrative declaration by the Executive; its validity is inherent to the existence of situations of persecution and arbitrary detention that it is intended to correct”, he explained.
The EJP added that “intending to conclude this instrument unilaterally represents an act of legal uncertainty that leaves victims absolutely vulnerable and sends an alarming signal to the judicial system, by in fact instructing the courts to reject requests for freedom based on a premise that does not exist in the legal order.”
The Venezuela Program for Education and Action on Human Rights (PROVEA) also argued that “the repeal of the law is not the responsibility of the national Executive”.
“This is an arbitrary and unconstitutional measure, which does not contribute to the process of coexistence and peace that has been announced”, he highlighted, also in X.
PROVEA also stated that “despite its limitations, the Amnesty Law is a first step towards dismantling the repressive apparatus that has oppressed the rights of the Venezuelan population in recent years”.
Many Venezuelans questioned the announcement on social media, stressing that the law does not provide for an expiration or expiry date and that its end increases legal uncertainty, weakens human rights and leaves victims without protection.
The Amnesty Law covers a period of 27 years, starting in 1999, but only in connection with 13 events that occurred in 13 different years, excluding military operations and crimes such as corruption, homicide and human rights violations.
According to the EJP, 674 people remain detained for political reasons in Venezuela, including 30 Venezuelans with dual nationality and 28 foreigners – including five Portuguese citizens.
Nine prisoners died in one week in Venezuelan jails
In less than a week, nine prisoners died in Venezuela’s prisons, some due to violence and others due to health complications and lack of medical care, reported the Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP).
“The ninth detainee has died, in less than a week, in the custody of the Venezuelan Government. He is José Ramón Yelamo Zárraga, who died in the Judicial Detention Center of Tocuyito, in the state of Carabobo, after a progressive worsening of his health condition, without access to medical care”, denounced the OVP.
On social network X, the Observatory insisted that the deaths occurred “in a context marked by overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and lack of medical care” in prisons.
“It is regrettable that diseases continue to spread unchecked within detention centers, while detainees remain without access to diagnosis, treatment or monitoring, which aggravates pathologies that, under normal conditions, are preventable or treatable,” he explained.
The OVP said that it has frequently denounced the situation in Venezuelan jails and stressed that “the Venezuelan Government is responsible for guaranteeing the life and health of the people in its custody”.
“Omission to provide medical care constitutes a serious violation of human rights and a form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. From the OVP we demand an immediate investigation, the determination of responsibilities and the urgent adoption of measures that guarantee effective medical care in prisons”, he concluded.
According to the OVP, in addition to José Ramón Yelamo Zárraga, in Tucuyito, Rosqui Norberto Escalona, in Uribana, Ovidio José Madriz Mendoza in El Rodeo III, and Deivi Enrique García in El Rodeo IV, also died due to health problems and lack of medical attention.
On the other hand, Keivin Eduardo Matamoros, Eliecer José Córdoba García, Erkin Josué Ramos Flores, José Pascual Andrade Aguilar and Jean Carlos Jiménez Barrios also died in the Yare III prison, according to authorities, during a fight.
A version that is rejected by family members, who insist that the deaths took place following gunshots.
