Delcy Rodríguez Announces General Amnesty Bill for Prisoners & Declares Closure of Infamous Torture Prison

MIAMI - Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced a bill to grant a general amnesty for all political prisoners on Friday before the nation’s National Assembly, framing the move as a step towards “national reconciliation.”

Skeptics of the acting president’s ability to carry out major reforms after the fall of Maduro, including Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, have been critical of the new regime in Caracas, warning that the government of Delcy Rodríguez is the same beast, but a different head.

However, following the government’s announcement on Friday, Machado applauded the moves, but hopes the measures will be “fulfilled.”

Rodríguez stated before the nation’s legislative body and the Venezuelan Supreme Court that amnesty will be applied to cases from 1999 to the present. Rodríguez said that she will instruct a judicial commission to present the bill to the National Assembly.

“I again ask for the full cooperation of the Venezuelan legislature so that this law may serve to heal the wounds left by political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism, to restore justice in our country, and to foster peaceful coexistence among Venezuelans,” Rodríguez said.

Acting President Rodríguez also announced the impending closure of the Venezuelan capital’s infamous torture centre, known locally as ‘El Helicoide’, responsible for swallowing thousands of opposition members, political dissidents, and activists who have been deemed threats to the “tranquility of the state.”

Prior to the government’s announcement on Friday, Foro Penal, a Venezuela-based human rights organization advocating on behalf of political prisoners detained by the regime, estimated that at least 800 political prisoners were still held in various facilities throughout the territory, with at least dozens being housed in El Helicoide on charges of “terrorism.”