Venezuela parliament chief vows quick release of remaining political prisoners

CARACAS: Venezuela’s head of parliament on Friday promised the speedy release of remaining political prisoners during a meeting with their relatives in which he promised to correct the government’s “mistakes.”

“By Friday (February 13) at the latest they will all be free,” Jorge Rodriguez, a former member of ousted leader Nicolas Maduro’s inner circle, told prisoners’ families outside the notorious Zona 7 detention center in Caracas.

“We are going to rectify all the mistakes that have been made.”

It was not clear whether he was referring to all remaining political prisoners – estimated to number around 700 by rights groups – or only those being held at Zona 7.

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The meeting came a day after National Assembly members gave their initial backing to a draft amnesty covering the types of crimes used to lock up dissidents during 27 years of socialist rule.

But Venezuela’s largest opposition coalition denounced “serious omissions” in the amnesty measures Friday, after a shorter and more general draft of the law was released compared to the previous version circulated the day before.

The text “excludes large groups of civilian and military political prisoners,” “does not establish mechanisms for reparation to victims” and “does not guarantee the safe return of exiles,” the Democratic Unitary Platform coalition said in a statement.

Acting president Delcy Rodriguez is pushing the bill as a milestone on the path to reconciliation, a month after the US overthrow of Maduro.

Jorge Rodriguez, her brother, said the legislation would “repair all the mistakes” of Chavismo – the anti-US, socialist doctrine of late firebrand leader Hugo Chavez and his successor Maduro.

He said he expected parliament to complete the adoption of the bill as early as Tuesday.

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“As soon as the law is adopted, they (prisoners) will also be released the same day,” he said.

Relatives surrounded the interim leader’s brother, clamoring for the release of their loved ones.

“Help me get my family member out of there, please,” a woman told him.

“We’re going to get them all out,” he replied while hugging another family member.

Nancy Plaza, whose husband is detained in Zona 7, said she told Rodriguez that “there are many mothers suffering” because of the detentions.

“I told him to please do it for my children, for me, for all the political prisoners,” she told AFP.

“We need him to be released. I’m going to believe that he will keep his promise.”