Venezuelan opposition politician released after amnesty law passed

BBC World · Feb 20, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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2 hours agoJack BurgessReutersVenezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa has announced on social media that he has been freed after "almost nine months of unjust imprisonment". His comments come shortly after the country's interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, signed an amnesty bill approved by its National Assembly that could lead to the release of hundreds of political prisoners. Rodríguez's interim government has faced pressure from the US to speed up the release of Venezuela's remaining political prisoners after delays to the law. However, Guanipa described the bill as a "flawed document" that excludes many Venezuelans who remain "unjustly" behind bars. Guanipa is the leader of Venezuela's centre-right Justice First party and was a former vice-president of the National Assembly.Venezuela's socialist government has always denied holding political prisoners but first announced days after Maduro's capture, on 8 January, that "a significant number" of prisoners would be freed as a goodwill gesture.Opposition and human rights groups have said the government under Maduro for years used detentions of political prisoners to stamp out dissent and silence critics.Interim President Rodriguez has described the amnesty bill as being intended for the offering and receiving of forgiveness.But activists within the South American country have denounced delays to the amnesty law and a lack of transparency over who is being freed.