Relatives of political prisoners in Venezuela described this Saturday as a “show” the visit of the President of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, to the PNB headquarters in Boleíta, also known as Zone 7, where he promised the release of “all” the detainees on the same day that the amnesty law is approved, which he estimated would happen “between next Tuesday and no later than Friday.”
“At the time Jorge Rodríguez and Jorge Arreaza (deputy) arrived, I was not here (…). They did not last, I think, even 10 minutes, everything was like a media show”Evelis Cano, 49, mother of prisoner Jack Tantak, told EFE.
Cano reproached Rodríguez for not entering the prison facility known as Zone 7, in Caracas, “to see how the political prisoners were doing” and “listen to testimonies from their own mouths,” which was, in his opinion, “what he had to do.”
“He didn’t tell us anything new; he didn’t come to do anything new. He didn’t do what he should have done and he lost the opportunity to have vindicated himself with Venezuela.”declared Cano.
They reject Jorge Rodríguez’s visit to Zone 7
For her part, Marina Saldivia, 69, said she hopes the Government “keeps its word” to release the political prisoners.
“We are hoping that if he gave his word (Jorge Rodríguez) that he would fulfill it,” said Saldivia, who told EFE that he has four relatives detained: two sons, a granddaughter and a daughter-in-law.
“We want Venezuela to recover as soon as possible and if they are going to continue in this government, they should see the suffering that we mothers have.”added Saldivia.
On Friday, Rodríguez arrived at the site accompanied by Chavista deputy Jorge Arreaza, who presented the amnesty bill before Parliament on Thursday for one of the two discussions to which legislation must be submitted to be definitively approved.
The Venezuelan Parliament, with a large Chavista majority, approved on Thursday in the first vote the amnesty bill promoted by the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, which must now be evaluated in a second and final debate.
The project excludes those prosecuted and convicted of serious violations of human rights, crimes against humanity, war crimes, intentional homicide, corruption and drug trafficking, indicated Deputy Arreaza when presenting the bill.
The NGO Foro Penal, which leads the legal defense of political prisoners in Venezuela, puts the total of these detainees at 687.
The legislation was proposed last week by the president in charge in the midst of a process of releasing political prisoners that began on January 8, almost a week after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, deputy Cilia Flores.
