Venezuela’s National Assembly set to resume tense debate on a sweeping amnesty bill
ABC News
Venezuela’s National Assembly is debating an amnesty bill that could free hundreds held for political reasons
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuela’s National Assembly on Thursday is set to resume debating a measure outlining the eligibility and exclusions for hundreds of people to be granted amnesty and be released after months or years of being in custody for political reasons.
The bill could benefit opposition members, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and many others who were targeted by the ruling party over the past 27 years. The debate was suspended last week after lawmakers were unable to agree on some issues, including whether people who left the country to avoid detention can be granted amnesty, and laid bare the resistance from some ruling-party loyalists to see opposition members be granted relief.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez proposed the bill weeks after the U.S. military captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in a stunning raid Jan. 3 in the country’s capital, Caracas, and took him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
The amnesty bill debate in itself is the latest stark policy turn for Venezuela, where the government has been quick to comply with orders from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, including last month’s overhaul of the country’s oil industry law.
Venezuelan authorities have long denied the country has any political prisoners, but the proposed bill effectively acknowledges the contrary.
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