Venezuela’s acting president announces amnesty, plans to convert notorious prison into community center

2026-01-31 - 12:25

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Friday a sweeping amnesty law covering cases from 1999 to the present, though it excludes charges related to drug trafficking, homicide, corruption, and human rights violations. Speaking at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in Caracas, Rodríguez also revealed plans to convert the Helicoide detention center—a facility widely condemned by human rights groups for alleged torture—into a hub for sports and social services. Reactions and Context Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado stated the move was not voluntary but the result of sustained U.S. pressure. Human rights organization Foro Penal expressed cautious optimism, with its head Alfredo Romero emphasizing that any amnesty must be inclusive, nondiscriminatory, and should help dismantle the state’s “repressive apparatus.” The announcement comes weeks after a U.S. military operation captured former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who are now facing drug and weapons charges in New York. U.S. President Donald Trump has stated his administration intends to oversee Venezuela’s transition and manage its oil assets during an interim period.