Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez announced on Friday a general amnesty, the closure of the Helicoid, a feared political prison, as well as judicial reform, during a declaration before the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), less than a month after the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the American army.
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“We have decided to promote a general amnesty law covering the entire period of political violence from 1999 to today,” said Ms. Rodriguez, specifying that the law will be presented to the National Assembly.
“Let it be a law that serves to repair the wounds left by political confrontation, fueled by violence and extremism. Which allows us to put justice back on track in our country and reorient coexistence between Venezuelans,” she said.
The president also promised the closure of the feared Helicoid prison, accused of being a torture center by the opposition and human rights activists: “We have decided that the Helicoid facilities, which today serve as a detention center, become a social, sporting, cultural and commercial center for the police family and for neighboring communities.”
She will also organize “a major national consultation for a new judicial system” while NGOs and the opposition accuse her of being corrupt and subservient to power.
The ceremony was attended by the most powerful figures in the state, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodriguez, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and Attorney General Tarek William Saab.
Amnesty, not “impunity”
Under American pressure after the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan government promised the release of political prisoners on January 8, but these are taking place in dribs and drabs.
According to the authorities, more than 800 political prisoners – never mentioned as such – were released, affirming that these releases began “before December”, and the capture of Maduro.
The specialized NGO Foro Penal disputes this figure, recording only 383 releases since December, and 266 since January 8.
In Venezuela, there are still at least 711 political prisoners, including 65 foreigners, according to this NGO.
Dozens of relatives are camped outside the country’s prisons, awaiting release.
“Amnesties are good as long as they do not lead to impunity,” said the president of the NGO Foro Penal. “If the amnesty serves to protect a few to escape justice in the future, it is not an amnesty, it is simply a mandate of impunity,” he noted.
“If amnesty really leads to reconciliation with honesty and transparency, that would be ideal (…) Amnesty depends on what is established there (…) we cannot include serious violations of human rights, that is obvious, and even less crimes against humanity,” he clarified.
