Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez announces prisoner amnesty

Rodriguez calls for healing ‘wounds left by political confrontation’ while announcing notorious El Helicoide prison to shut down.Published On 31 Jan 2026Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, her latest major reform since the US military abducted the country’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife earlier this month.“We have decided to push ahead with a general amnesty law that covers the whole period of political violence from 1999 to the present day,” Rodriguez said on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Countries supplying oil to Cuba threatened with US tariffslist 2 of 4Panama court rules Chinese control of canal ports unconstitutionallist 3 of 4Venezuela signs law opening up oil sector as US eases sanctionslist 4 of 4What’s next for Venezuela?end of listSpeaking at a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military officials and other government leaders, the acting president said the National Assembly would take up the amnesty bill with urgency.“May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fuelled by violence and extremism,” Rodriguez said in the prerecorded televised event.“May it serve to redirect justice in our country, and may it serve to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans,” she said.Rodriguez also announced the shutdown of El Helicoide, a notorious secret service prison in Caracas, where torture and other human rights abuses have been documented by independent organisations.El Helicoide, she said, will be transformed into a sports, social and cultural centre for the surrounding neighbourhoods.Rodriguez made her announcement before officials whom former prisoners and human rights watchdogs have accused of overseeing El Helicoide and other detention facilities.The Venezuelan-based prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal estimates that 711 people are in detention in facilities across Venezuela over their political activities. Of those, 183 have been sentenced, the group said.