Venezuela enacts political amnesty law

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez proposed the law shortly after the US abducted Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has enacted an amnesty law meant to grant immediate clemency to individuals jailed for participating in political unrest.

The law, signed on Thursday, had been formally proposed by Rodriguez in January, weeks after she was appointed interim president. Rodriguez assumed office after US forces abducted President Nicolas Maduro, who now faces US charges of narcoterrorism, cocaine trafficking, and firearms offenses, which he denies outright.

Shortly after Rodriguez’s appointment, US President Donald Trump warned her that if she “doesn't do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”

In an initial defiant response, Rodriguez declared that no “foreign agent” would control Venezuela. However, she has since moved to align with US demands, including opening Venezuela’s oil sector to American companies and cooperating on security.

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The Amnesty Law covers a period between 1999 and 2026, with specified events ranging from the 2002 coup against the late President Hugo Chavez and the subsequent oil strike to the protests against Maduro’s re-election in 2024.

”One must know how to ask for forgiveness and one must also know how to receive forgiveness,” Rodriguez said while presenting the document. The law will take effect upon publication in the official gazette.

The law excludes offenses such as serious violations of human rights, crimes against humanity, war crimes, intentional homicide, corruption, and drug trafficking.

The US has been openly seeking control over Venezuela’s vast oil wealth. The country holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, roughly one-fifth of the global total. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced earlier this month that the years-long American embargo on Venezuelan oil is “essentially over” and called for a “dramatic increase” in output.

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Washington’s actions against Venezuela have drawn international condemnation. Russia’s Foreign Ministry called the operation against Maduro “a flagrant violation of international law,” with UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia describing it as “international banditry” driven by desire for “unlimited control over natural resources.”