Venezuelan lawmakers on Thursday passed new legislation that gives amnesty to hundreds of people who were prosecuted or convicted for political reasons, APA reports, citing CNN.
Rights groups and opposition members have cautiously welcomed the law, saying it offers an opportunity to ease the suffering of many, but that the process must be transparent and held to account.
Some say the bill didn’t go far enough, and have questioned whether an amendment to one of the articles could prevent activists and opposition members in exile from receiving amnesty.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez, who came to power after a US military operation removed President Nicolás Maduro, proposed the new amnesty law last month under pressure from Washington.
After signing the amnesty law, she described the moment as “an extraordinary door for Venezuela to reunite, for Venezuela to learn to coexist democratically and peacefully, for Venezuela to rid itself of hatred, of intolerance, let it open up to human rights.”
Many in Venezuela – and the United States – will now be watching closely to see whether the country’s remaining political prisoners will soon walk free.