The amnesty is an initiative of interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who took over the government of Venezuela in early January after the United States invaded the country and captured President Nicolás Maduro.
According to the draft of the new law, which was presented to parliament on Thursday and seen by the AFP news agency, the ban on several prominent opposition politicians from running for political office is lifted. Among them is opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her fight for freedom and democracy in the dictatorship.
The amnesty also includes treason, terrorism and spreading hatred, crimes that have often been used to imprison opposition figures. Sanctions on criticism published on social media and messaging services will be lifted.
The amnesty is intended to extend back to 1999, when the so-called Bolivarian Revolution was initiated by socialist leader Hugo Chávez.
It is stated that it does not cover "serious crimes" against human rights. Several other crimes, such as corruption, drug trafficking and war crimes, are also proposed to be excluded.
However, experts warn that the text of the law is vague enough to allow for arbitrariness within the judiciary, which is widely considered loyal to the ruling Chavistas.
