Rights groups critical as Venezuela prisoner release scheme 'coming to an end'

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced that Venezuela’s political prisoner release scheme, established under an amnesty law passed by the National Assembly, is "coming to an end" after just nine weeks. Nearly 500 political prisoners have been freed under the program, according to prisoner rights group Foro Penal, though hundreds more remain incarcerated. Rodríguez claimed the scheme had been successful, with over 8,600 people released under the law, but her statement has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations and legal experts who argue she lacks the authority to halt the process. Foro Penal and the watchdog group Provea condemned Rodríguez’s announcement as arbitrary and unconstitutional, emphasizing that only a new legislative act or referendum could repeal the amnesty law, which has no expiration date. Foro Penal’s vice-president Gonzalo Himiob highlighted the judiciary’s reluctance and inability to fully implement the law’s provisions, attributing this to the broader repressive system that necessitated the amnesty in the first place. Provea warned that ending the releases undermines efforts toward coexistence and peace in Venezuela, viewing the amnesty as a crucial initial step toward dismantling the government’s repressive framework. The amnesty law was initially championed by Jorge Rodríguez, Delcy Rodríguez’s brother and president of the National Assembly, who noted that over 1,500 political prisoners had applied for release and that the law could eventually cover up to 11,000 detainees. The release of political prisoners was a significant concession to the United States, which has supported Delcy Rodríguez despite her ties to former President Nicolás Maduro. The Justice, Encounter and Pardon group criticized the announcement as a serious blow to the rule of law, describing the amnesty as largely symbolic rather than a genuine effort to restore freedom to political prisoners. The detention of political prisoners has long been a tool for Maduro’s government to suppress dissent and silence opposition. Rodríguez’s move to end the release program raises concerns about the future of political freedoms and human rights in Venezuela amid ongoing political tensions and international scrutiny.