Venezuela Parliament Head Promises to Free Political Prisoners by Friday

Venezuelan parliament president Jorge Rodriguez promised to free all remaining political prisoners by February 13. This statement came after parliament preliminarily approved an amnesty bill, which the opposition criticized for being too vague.

The president of the Venezuelan parliament promised to expedite the release of remaining political prisoners during a meeting with their relatives. The meeting came a day after parliament members preliminarily approved an amnesty bill covering crimes used to imprison opponents over 27 years. However, the largest opposition coalition in Venezuela denounced on Friday 'serious omissions' in the amnesty procedures, after a shorter and more general draft of the law was presented compared to the initial one. Human rights organizations estimate the number of remaining political prisoners to be around 700. Jorge Rodriguez told the prisoners' families outside the notorious 'Zone 7' detention center in Caracas: 'By Friday (February 13) at the latest, they will all be free'.

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