The National Assembly (Parliament) of Venezuela unanimously approved a historic amnesty law this Thursday, which should lead to the release of hundreds of political prisoners after 27 years of Chavismo, and the text was enacted almost immediately by the interim president, Delcy Rodriguez.

After enacting a historic law of Regarding the amnesty, Rodriguez asserted that “one must know” how to ask for forgiveness” and that the law should translate into the mass release of political prisoners. “One must know how to ask for forgiveness and one must also know how to receive forgiveness,” Rodriguez said from the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, as confirmed by AFP. Rodriguez governs under pressure from Washington. She initiated a process of releases prior to the amnesty proposal. 448 have been released, but 644 remain behind bars, according to the NGO Foro Penal. “The only thing I regret is that such a lamentable "Today, yesterday, and all these days, but especially today, has been a day of profound debate," said Deputy Rodriguez at the beginning. Article 7—the obstacle that led to the postponement of the debate on February 12—was modified and approved unanimously. It maintains that the amnesty covers “any person who is or may be prosecuted or convicted for crimes or offenses committed” during the 27 years of Chavismo, who “is in compliance with the law or submits to the law,” meaning it involves the courts, which are accused of serving Chavismo. The new text includes the possibility for those affected in exile to send a representative to the judge. “After submitting the amnesty request, The text reads, “The person may not be deprived of liberty for the acts foreseen in this law and must appear personally before the competent court for the purpose of granting amnesty."Delcy Rodriguez herself has called for a profound reform of the system. Exclusions: Article 8 lists the specific acts covered by the amnesty, from the coup against Hugo Chavez and the 2002 oil strike to the protests against Maduro's disputed reelection in 2024. Critics argued that the amnesty should cover all 27 years of Chavismo without exceptions. It was approved. Article 9 excludes human rights violations, or crimes against humanity, from the amnesty, as mandated by the Constitution. It also excludes “persons who are or may be prosecuted or convicted for promoting, instigating, soliciting, invoking, "To favor, facilitate, finance, or participate in armed or forceful actions against the people, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela by foreign states, corporations, or individuals."

Venezuela was bombed by the United States less than two months ago.

Opposition leader Machado, for example, has been accused on several occasions of calling for invasions, as have other leaders such as Leopoldo Lopez.

A source told AFP that a special commission created under the law will study these cases individually.

Machado is in the United States, after spending more than a year in hiding in Venezuela. Lopez has been in exile in Spain since 2020.

Independent United Nations experts stressed that the amnesty "must apply to all victims of illegal prosecution and be integrated into a comprehensive transitional justice process."

Hunger strike

Dozens of family members have been camped outside the prisons since the first announcement of releases on January 8. Many followed the session silently on their cell phones, AFP observed.

The 448 who were released received conditional release, a point activists emphasize: the amnesty must grant full freedom.

A hunger strike begun on February 14 by a group of 10 women, of whom only one remained, ended with the passage of the law.