The president of the parliamentary commission for the application of the Amnesty Law in Venezuela, deputy Jorge Arreaza, reported this Saturday of the release of 31 soldiers with “alternative measures”. This aims to contribute to peace and national gathering.
Through a message on X, the deputy indicated that the Military Justice System of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) agreed to grant these measures on Friday to the military. Furthermore, he said that these “They are now free.”
Arreaza did not specify the identities of the soldiers or what their cases before the Justice are.
Penal Forum also reported on the release of soldiers Rocío Fernández and Jesús Sifontes
On Friday, the president of the NGO Foro Penal, Alfredo Romero, reported the release of at least eight military political prisoners. Among them were Rocio Fernandezcaptain of the Bolivarian Army and belonging to the Wayuu indigenous people, and Jesus Sifonteslieutenant of the Navy.
Foro Penal indicated that both had been “arbitrarily” detained since August 2024. At that time, Venezuela was going through a crisis that was unleashed after the questioned victory of Nicolás Maduro in the presidential elections in July of that year proclaimed by an electoral body related to Chavismo. Later, that body did not publish the voting minutes.
The Parliament, controlled by Chavismo, last week unanimously approved a historic amnesty law for the cases of political prisoners from 1999 to 2026. However, it will be specifically applied to 13 “events” that occurred in 13 different years. This excludes the rest of the established period, as well as the cases related to military operations.
Likewise, it created a special commission to guarantee compliance with the rule. In addition, it will review cases “not contemplated” in the law, a function that will also be fulfilled by the Program for Democratic Coexistence and Peace. This program was installed in January by the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, who took office after the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the United States last month.
Rodríguez asked, after the approval of the law, to “expeditiously” review those cases that do not fall within the approved regulations.
