AMNESTY LAW, REAL FREEDOM OR SELECTIVE?

On February 19, 2026, the regime’s National Assembly approved an "Amnesty Law" that has been presented to the world as the beginning of a new era of national reconciliation. However, following its enactment, the reality in the prisons and on the streets of Venezuela tells a very different story. What was intended to be a gesture of reconciliation has revealed itself as a farcical political display and a shield of impunity for the victimizers; it is simply an attempt to demonstrate a kind of “change” to the international community in the face of political pressure on the dictatorship.

This law has been questioned by experts and human rights activists because, in practice, it offers neither full nor guaranteed freedom. It is limited to specific dates and events, leaving out many Venezuelans who were tried and arbitrarily condemned outside of those established dates. But what is most disgraceful is that this same law pardons the persecutors and repressors who committed crimes against humanity and were the regime agents who instilled fear in the population. This is a mockery of the victims, who are not being released in their entirety, while some political prisoners are released under "conditional freedom" and mandatory reporting requirements.

As a young activist living outside the country, I see with deep concern how this law pointedly excludes us, while the aggressors and torturers were legally shielded to obtain a pardon for their crimes. For those of us abroad who have not yet been processed, no protection exists. If we return, nothing prevents us from being captured for future "offenses" or for the simple fact of expressing ourselves freely today. There is no legal certainty when the benefit depends on the discretion of whichever regime agent is on duty.

As of today, February 28, 2026, there are still people who have not been released. Detainees remain subjected to the same corrupt and repressive judicial system that arbitrarily condemned them without evidence. And what is most terrifying is that the regime's repressive apparatus continues to operate with total normality, given that the jurisprudence sustaining the repression remains intact and in force. For example, the "Law against Fascism and Hate" remains in effect to imprison anyone who publishes a critical thought, and the "Simón Bolívar Law" continues to impose severe prison sentences on anyone arbitrarily labeled as a "terrorist."

According to reports from organizations such as Foro Penal and Acceso a la Justicia, these laws are the true fear of Venezuelan society. As long as these norms exist, any attempt at amnesty is merely a mirage. The risk of speaking out against the regime remains extremely high; the persecution structure of the Rodríguez siblings has not been dismantled—it has only become more selective and silent. And it is for this reason that many Venezuelans have preferred to continue their lives in a “normal” manner, without attempting to demonstrate or organize against the dictatorship.

As citizens, we cannot allow ourselves to be deceived by laws that pardon the executioners while keeping the population under threat. Freedom is not a benefit or a privilege granted by the regime; freedom is a right that we will only recover when every one of the oppressive laws that remain in force today is dismantled.

 WE, VENEZUELANS CONTINUE THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY