CARACAS: Venezuela’s parliament chief said Saturday that 17 political prisoners had been released, as talks continue over the adoption of a historic amnesty bill designed to end the use of courts to crack down on dissent.
The amnesty law, if enacted, is expected to cover all charges brought against dissidents who opposed the rule of ousted leader Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez over the past 27 years.
“Under the Amnesty Law, 17 people deprived of their liberty in Zona 7 are being released at this moment,” National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez wrote on social media, referring to the detention center in capital Caracas.
He called for Venezuelans to “continue this path of peace for the construction of democratic coexistence.”
Rodriguez did not publish the names of those released.
