The opposition group Libertad seeks amnesty for those accused of terrorism in Venezuela, a crime generally associated in the country with political issues after accusations of alleged conspiracy or destabilization, representative Nora Bracho told Efe, after explaining that The postponement of the second debate of the law occurred due to the lack of agreements on several articles.
Bracho, a member of that bench and vice president of the special commission for public consultation of the text, told Efe that they propose to “expand the coverage” of the periods included and the “alleged crimes” eligible for the amnesty.
The deputy highlighted the proposal that the amnesty address crimes that “are repeated in the accusations or accusations,” and gave as an example charges such as terrorism and conspiracy to commit a crime, which, she added, “generally are political accusations.”
“This article is one of those that is precisely the crux of the specific discussions,” said the deputy, who estimates that there will be a meeting of the commission between Tuesday and Wednesday of next week to see if agreements can be reached and the text definitively approved on Thursday.
Exclusions and criticisms about the amnesty bill
The project, as drafted so far, excludes those accused of human rights violations, homicide, corruption, drug trafficking, among others; and, although it has been proposed since 1999, the text details ten events of the political situation, which has been criticized by various NGOs because – they claim – it leaves out hundreds of political prisoners, including the military.
“The deferral of the discussion of the law was made because there is no agreement on other articles,” added the parliamentarian.
He noted that his party has made “observations” based on the recommendations received during meetings with representatives of civil society, NGOs and legal advisors.
“We believe that this law should be broad so that it covers a majority. Not only political prisoners but also exiles,” he added.
He added that the opposition team is working and reviewing again all the proposals received during the public consultation, which lasted a week and in which various sectors participated, including academics, representatives of NGOs and, recently, relatives of political prisoners.
Article 7
The debate on the bill, this Thursday, was stuck in article 7, which establishes that those who want to benefit from the amnesty must put themselves “upright”, that is, appear before the justice system, which led the Libertad bench to request a change in the wording to eliminate that requirement.
The legislator indicated that she asked to defer the discussion of the article to seek an agreement, and considered that it is important to take care of the wording so that the articles are not subject to “subjective interpretations” with an application “at the discretion of those who execute the laws.”
Next week, the second debate necessary for the final approval of the amnesty project is scheduled to be resumed, promoted by the president in charge, Delcy Rodriguezwhile relatives of political prisoners continue to stand outside the prisons to ask for their release.
