Venezuelan rights groups estimate that more than 600 people may be detained for political reasons.
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Published February 20, 2026
Venezuela’s acting president has signed an amnesty bill that could soon allow hundreds of politicians, activists and lawyers to be released, while tacitly acknowledging what the country has long denied: political detainees are still behind bars.
The law, signed Thursday, effectively reverses decades of denial in the government’s latest change of direction since the Jan. 3 U.S. military attack in the capital, Caracas, and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro.
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Opposition members, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and others who have been targeted by the ruling party for the past 27 years could benefit from the new law.
But families hoping to have their relatives released say acting President Delcy Rodriguez has failed to fulfill previous promises to release prisoners. Some of them have been herded outside the detention center for weeks.
Venezuela-based prisoners’ rights group Foro Penar has tallied 448 people released since January 8 and estimates that more than 600 are still held for political reasons.
The new law grants amnesty for involvement in political protests or “acts of violence” during the brief coup in 2002, as well as demonstrations and elections in specific months dating back to 2004.
It did not spell out the exact crimes covered by the pardon, but previous drafts listed several crimes, including incitement to commit unlawful acts, resisting authorities, sedition and treason.
Those convicted of “military insurrection” for their involvement in the 2019 events are excluded. The law also does not provide for the return of the assets of those detained, the reversal of politically motivated banishments from public office, or the revocation of sanctions against media organizations.
The opposition party is divided
“It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a big step forward for reconciliation in Venezuela,” opposition politician Nora Bracho said during Thursday’s parliamentary debate on the bill.
But the law was criticized by other opposition members, including Maria Colina Machado, the opposition leader’s international relations director and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
“A true pardon doesn’t need a law, it does need a law, and that’s what’s missing from this discussion,” he said on Thursday’s X show. “This is not only an invalid and illegal law, but also a trap to buy time and re-victimize the persecuted.”
Since Madura’s abduction, US President Donald Trump has praised Rodriguez, Madura’s former deputy, but downplayed the possibility that he would support the rebels.
Mr. Rodriguez has overseen several concessions to the United States, including freezing oil shipments to Cuba and supporting legislation to open the national oil industry to foreign companies.
The United States said it would control revenue from Venezuelan oil sales until a “representative government” is established.
