Leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly promises approval of Amnesty Law on Tuesday and release of political prisoners by Friday

The president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, announces the release of prisoners during a press conference in Caracas Gaby Oraa/Reuters The president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, promised this Friday (6) the approval of the Amnesty Law by next Tuesday (10) — and the release of all political prisoners within a week. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp “We already approved the law yesterday. On Tuesday, it will have the second discussion and will be definitively approved. We will correct all the mistakes that were made,” said the Chavista deputy. “Everyone will be free by Friday at the latest,” promised Rodríguez outside the National Police detention center known as Zone 7, where he met with family members of political prisoners. The meeting took place one day after the first reading of the amnesty law in Parliament and almost a month after interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who took power after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a US military operation, announced the release of prisoners. Jorge and Delcy Rodríguez, two of the most powerful figures in Chavismo, are brothers. See the videos that are trending on g1 Amnesty Law On Thursday (5), the amnesty bill, which grants immediate pardon to people arrested for participating in political protests or criticizing authorities, received the first approval from legislators in the National Assembly. The proposal also provides for the return of detainees’ property and the cancellation of Interpol alerts and other international measures imposed by the government. In practice, this would allow opponents living abroad to return to the country. The text was approved unanimously in the first of two necessary votes in the National Assembly, controlled by the Chavistas. There is still no date for the second debate session. Announced last week by interim president Delcy Rodríguez, the law could lead to the release of hundreds of people if approved in its current form. The measure also tends to please the United States government, which has praised the release of prisoners. “The path of this law will be full of obstacles, full of bitter moments… we will not only have to swallow hard… but also swallow frogs”, said Jorge Rodríguez, on Thursday. “We ask for forgiveness and we also need to forgive.” For years, opposition and human rights organizations have claimed that the government uses detention to repress dissidents, including politicians, members of the security forces, journalists and activists, with arbitrary charges such as terrorism and treason. The government has always denied the existence of political prisoners. Delcy Rodríguez took power after the United States captured and deposed dictator Nicolás Maduro and has been meeting American demands on oil deals. The government had also been gradually releasing people classified as political prisoners by the opposition.

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