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The Justice of Venezuela agreed to the first 379 releases after the approval on February 19 of the Amnesty Law.
Jorge Arreazaa Chavista deputy who chairs the parliamentary commission in charge of monitoring and complying with the legislation, was in charge of announcing this news.
According to Arreaza’s statements to the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), It is expected that those amnestied will be released in the next few hours.
Arreaza specified in his statement that of the 379 amnesty requests, 371 are in Caracas, five in the state of Barinas (west), two in Portuguesa (west) and one in Monagas (east).
Gonzalo Himiob, vice-president of the NGO Foro Penalwho leads the defense of political prisoners, reported in X that his organization has been verifying since early this Saturday the first releases derived from the legislation.
#21Feb 7:10 am From @ForoPenal We are verifying that during last night and early today the first releases derived from the Amnesty Law are materializing.
— Gonzalo Himiob S. (@HimiobSantome) February 21, 2026
Amnesty Law in Venezuela
The law, which was approved this Thursday and announced by interim president Delcy Rodríguezpoints out in its main objectives “contribute to the promotion of peace, democratic coexistence, rectification and national reconciliation.”
It covers, in theory, the period established between 1999 and 2026but it specifies 13 political situations starting in 2002, which excludes arrests that occurred in at least 15 of the last 27 yearsas well as cases related to military operations.
Those who have already appeared before justice or decide to do so may benefit from the amnesty. after the law comes into force. In the case of those who are abroad, including hundreds of exiles, the process can be carried out through a lawyer.
This point has generated strong criticism, since, according to its detractors, it treats people who they consider victims of a repressive judicial and police system as criminals.
Furthermore, the law establishes that the benefit will only apply to those who have stopped committing the acts considered a crime or cease committing them after the entry into force of the rule.
“It contains serious omissions,” declare representatives of the Democratic Unitary Platformparty to which the opposition leader belongs Maria Corina Machadodisqualified in January 2024 from holding public office.
Alfredo Romero, director of Foro Penal, denounces that it is “unconstitutional to exclude imprisoned and politically persecuted military personnel from the amnesty.”
It is discriminatory and unconstitutional to exclude imprisoned and politically persecuted military personnel from the amnesty. We cannot speak of national coexistence while excluding such an important sector of society as the military and their families.
— Alfredo Romero (@alfredoromero) February 21, 2026
The most criticized aspect is the discretion that causes by leaving its application in the hands of the same courts that convicted the defendants or instruct the ongoing proceedings. The opposition sees this as a “flagrant case of conflict of interest.”