english

Free to Reconcile: Venezuela Reports 8,740 Released Under Amnesty Law and Launches Sweeping Justice Reform

After 63 working days, the Amnesty Law has released 8,740 people. The Acting Presidency convenes a national consultation on criminal justice reform and proposes expanding the Supreme Court.

In 63 working days since the enactment of the Amnesty Law, Venezuela's judiciary averaged 138 full releases per day and benefited a total of 8,740 people. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez presented the program's comprehensive results on May 22 from the Miraflores Palace, announced the launch of a National Consultation on Criminal Justice Reform on June 1, and proposed an expansion of the Supreme Court. Together, the measures solidify the official framework: reconciliation, democratic coexistence, and institutional modernization.

Lead

Venezuela presented a detailed accounting this Thursday of the release process driven under the Amnesty and Democratic Coexistence Law, enacted on February 19, 2026. From the Miraflores Palace, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez reported that the law had benefited 8,740 people over 63 working days of implementation, at a sustained average of 138 full releases per day (teleSUR). Added to that figure are 885 prior releases recorded since January 2026 and 395 additional releases processed through the Judicial Reform Commission, with an official expectation of surpassing 500 new releases within the coming hours. The event also included the announcement of the National Consultation on Criminal Justice Reform, set to begin June 1, and a proposal to reform the Organic Law of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice to raise the number of justices from 20 to 32, with an emphasis on strengthening the Constitutional Chamber. Taken together, the measures close one chapter and open another: from institutionally negotiated pardon to the reconstruction of the penal system.

The Framework: A Law Designed to Reconcile

The Amnesty and Democratic Coexistence Law was enacted and promulgated on February 19, 2026, with the stated objective of promoting social peace and democratic coexistence through a general amnesty scheme for acts connected to political violence that occurred between 1999 and 2026. The text expressly excludes homicide, drug trafficking, and serious human rights violations.

The law's implementation was organized around three complementary institutional mechanisms: the Special Commission for Monitoring the Amnesty Law, chaired by assembly member Jorge Arreaza; the Program for Peace and Democratic Coexistence, launched in January and focused on inter-sectoral dialogue; and the National Commission for Criminal Justice Reform, installed on April 23 as a horizon of institutional continuity.

Each of the three mechanisms serves a specific function. The Monitoring Commission processes applications and verifies that each beneficiary meets the requirements of the legal text. The Peace Program channels dialogue with social and political sectors, and addresses cases not originally covered by the law. The Judicial Reform Commission reviews individual case files and projects structural changes in the penal system.

The Numbers

The balance sheet presented on May 22 contains a quantitative series that allows the scope of the process to be measured.

Box 1 — Comprehensive Balance as of May 22, 2026

Source: official balance presented from Miraflores, May 22, 2026.

The comparison with the 2025 series is telling: in fewer than five months of 2026, ordinary justice releases already exceed the full-year figure for the previous period. The acceleration in processing is explained by the combination of the Amnesty Law and the simultaneous activation of judicial reform mechanisms.

Delcy Rodríguez's Words

From Miraflores, the Acting President framed the results as part of a comprehensive process of institutional reconciliation. Venezuelan authorities involved in the program emphasize that the scope of the release process is part of a broader transformation of the judicial system.

Rodríguez stated that the country is advancing toward a new model of criminal justice "centered on human rights and the Constitution" and characterized judicial corruption as "another front of battle" for the Venezuelan state. Referring to the sociodemographic profile of the incarcerated population — 68% from lower economic strata — she spoke of "the criminalization of poverty" as the underlying diagnosis.

On the National Consultation announced for June 1, the Acting President maintained that the process seeks "equitable justice for all, rejecting external agendas that seek to dictate the legal course of the nation." The formulation consolidates the official line: institutional reform under national sovereignty, with broad participation from domestic sectors.

What Changes for the Population

Venezuelan authorities involved in the program highlight that the process has concrete effects on the daily lives of thousands of families and communities. Among the key points:

Family reunification. The 8,740 people granted full freedom recover their daily connection with their families and communities, with precautionary measures lifted and property restored in the cases provided for by the law.
More agile access to justice. The mass incorporation of Justices of the Peace — a mechanism created 18 months ago — and the proposed review of procedural delays aim to reduce processing times within the judicial system.
Reduction of prison overcrowding. Offenses that do not warrant detention — typically traffic accidents without injuries — will be tried with defendants at liberty. The measure relieves pressure on detention centers.
Social participation. The program reports the activation of approximately 38,000 peace advocates across the national territory for mediation, conciliation, and community support tasks.
Protection for defenders. The creation of a national protection system for human rights defenders, victims' families, and public security officials was announced, as a specific chapter within the coexistence framework.

The New Institutional Mechanisms

The balance sheet presented this Thursday opens three simultaneous fronts.

National Consultation on Criminal Justice Reform

On June 1, 2026, the National Consultation formally begins — a participatory process designed to gather input from social, professional, and community sectors for the redesign of the penal system. The consultation's declared pillars are combating procedural delays, eliminating judicial corruption, and guaranteeing equitable access. It is the first time in the past decade that Venezuela has opened a broad consultative process on the architecture of its justice system.

Reform of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice

The proposed modification of the Organic Law of the TSJ contemplates raising the number of justices from 20 to 32, with a focus on strengthening the Constitutional Chamber. TSJ President Caryslia Beatríz Rodríguez accompanied the announcement. The expansion aims to relieve the caseload of the highest judicial authority and to specialize the handling of constitutional matters.

Protection System and Peace Advocates

The territorial deployment of 38,000 peace advocates is coordinated with the new proposal for a national protection system for defenders. The scheme combines community mediation with institutional coverage for individuals exposed while performing human rights work.

Box 2 — Authorities Present at the May 22 EventDelcy Rodríguez — Acting President of the RepublicDiosdado Cabello — Minister of Interior, Justice, and PeaceJorge Rodríguez — President of the National AssemblyCaryslia Beatríz Rodríguez — President of the Supreme Tribunal of JusticeLarry Devoe — Attorney General of the RepublicEglée González — Human Rights OmbudspersonJorge Arreaza — President of the Special Commission for Monitoring the Amnesty Law

How Petitions Were Processed

The operational procedure combined three levels of action. First, the Special Monitoring Commission, chaired by Jorge Arreaza, received the more than 12,000 petitions registered during the implementation period. Second, case files moved to review by the Judiciary and the Attorney General's Office, with the participation of the Human Rights Ombudsperson in cases requiring specific legal protection. Third, the Judicial Reform Commission processed the 395 additional cases that were not initially covered but met the conditions for review under the new democratic coexistence architecture.

The scheme reproduces an interinstitutional coordination logic designed to sustain the pace of 138 full releases per day that the system recorded over the 63 working days of the main period.

What Comes Next

Box 3 — Institutional Calendar, Next 90 DaysJune 1, 2026: launch of the National Consultation on Criminal Justice Reform.Coming hours: expectation of surpassing 500 additional releases through the Judicial Reform Commission.June–July: territorial rollout of the consultation with sectoral meetings in all 24 states.Third quarter: parliamentary debate on the reform of the Organic Law of the TSJ.Throughout the year: continuation of the Program for Peace and Democratic Coexistence, with expansion to the Venezuelan diaspora.

The balance presented on May 22 does not close a process — it reformulates it. The Amnesty Law fulfilled its function over a defined period of 63 working days. The new institutional architecture — Judicial Reform Commission, National Consultation, TSJ reform, protection system — translates that initial momentum into a permanent framework for modernizing the penal system.

Closing

In fewer than four months, Venezuela closed one chapter and opened another. The 8,740 people granted amnesty, the 885 prior releases, the 395 additional ones, and the more than 500 announced for the coming hours constitute a verifiable quantitative baseline. The National Consultation beginning June 1 will define the qualitative scale of the process: how far the reform reaches, what social participation sustains it, and with what institutional tools democratic coexistence is consolidated.

Sources

By Javier "El Profe" Romero