Venezuela opposition leader denounces 'selective' amnesty
The Hindu
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado criticizes the government's amnesty program as 'selective' and unjustly applied.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Saturday (March 14, 2026) accused the Caracas government of "selective justice" under its amnesty program, saying her own lawyer had yet to be released.
The amnesty law was passed by interim leader Delcy Rodriguez under pressure from Washington after U.S. forces captured former leader Nicolas Maduro in January and took him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
It aims to turn the page on nearly three decades of state repression, and mark an early milestone in the post-Maduro transition.
But Ms. Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, said her close ally and lawyer Perkins Rocha has been in custody since August 2024, when scores of people were arrested after Mr. Maduro's contested re-election.
Mr. Rocha, 63, remains under house arrest and is required to report in to authorities every three hours. His amnesty request has been denied, Ms. Machado posted on X.
"To selectively deny amnesty is repression. The regime led by Delcy Rodriguez wants to prolong the terror by breaking the morale of those fighting for democracy and freedom in Venezuela," she wrote.
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