Venezuela receives more than 1,500 amnesty requests under new law
Al Jazeera
More than 370 political prisoners have already been granted amnesty under the US-backed legislation.
More than 1,5000 political prisoners in Venezuela have applied for amnesty under a new law that came into effect just a few days ago, according to the head of the country’s legislature.
“A total of 1,557 cases are being addressed immediately, and hundreds of people deprived of their freedom are already being released under the amnesty law”, National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez told a news conference on Saturday.
Rodriguez’s announcement comes two days after the country’s legislature unanimously adopted a landmark amnesty law.
Amnesty is not automatic under the law: petitioners must ask the court handling their cases.
On Friday, the lawmaker overseeing the amnesty process, Jorge Arreaza, announced that prosecutors had asked courts to free 379 prisoners. They include opposition members, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and many others detained for months or even years.
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