00:00Venezuela's Acting President, Delce Rodriguez, signed an amnesty law on Thursday night
00:05after the ruling party-controlled National Assembly approved
00:09what lawmakers described as a step towards national reconciliation.
00:14Rodriguez signed the document alongside Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello,
00:19and her brother, the President of the National Assembly, Jorgero Riguez.
00:25Rodriguez added that the law opens a door for Venezuela to reunite and learn to co-exist democratically and peacefully.
00:32The law was approved after a second debate in the legislature, headed by Rodriguez's brother, Jorgero Rodriguez.
00:39The approved law provides amnesty for involvement in political protests and violent actions
00:44which took place during a brief coup in 2002,
00:48and demonstrations or elections in certain months of 2004, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
01:02People convicted of military rebellion for involvement in events in 2019 are excluded.
01:09The law does not detail the exact crimes which would be eligible for amnesty,
01:14though a previous draft laid out several, including instigation of illegal activity,
01:19resistance to authorities, rebellion, and treason.
01:23It also does not return assets of those detained, revoke public office bans given for political reasons,
01:29or cancel sanctions against media outlets, as at least one previous draft would have.
01:35Rodriguez said a special commission has been appointed to monitor implementation
01:39and urge it to move quickly, including by reviewing cases not covered by the amnesty.
Comments