The National Assembly (AN) of Venezuela approved in its first discussion the Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence, proposed by the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez.
The proposal must be submitted to public consultation among different sectors of Venezuelan society before its final debate and vote in the Parliament’s plenary session.
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The president of the AN, Jorge Rodríguez, called to insist on the need to “heal the wounds” and added that “
the path of this law will be full of ups and downs, of advanced and unjust positions”.
“We have to swallow hard and be very careful not to be led astray by taking the wrong path.
We ask for forgiveness and we also have to forgive. And I tell the opposition to put their hand on their heart and ask themselves if they have rectified,”
he completed.
A law for a “new stage”
Congressman Jorge Arreaza was in charge of presenting the proposal to the plenary. From the speaker’s tribune, he asked to “humanize and create sincere coexistence with differences” in the South American nation.
Likewise, he called to remember that in the political history of the country
“amnesties, pardons and dismissals” have been granted, so he hopes that in this “new stage” facing the nation, after the bombing by the U.S. and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, there will be maturity to assume it.
In that spirit, the former chancellor predicted that this norm “may be one of the
main contributions that are made for the existence of the Republic”, in order to “safeguard the rights of Venezuelans”.
“Let no one assume this law as a sign of weakness […], let no one confuse this initiative with impunity; let no one derail us, let no pressure make us stray from the path of peace, encounter, reconciliation and forgiveness,” urged the also former Venezuelan vice president.
Foundations of the Amnesty Law
According to the explanatory memorandum, this project “aims to take a decisive step towards the establishment of national peace”, so that there is a guarantee of
“overcoming the cycles of sterile confrontations”, through “an act of sovereign clemency” that respects the rule of law.
In particular, the search for justice and coexistence among Venezuelans is aimed at encouraging
“coexistence from diversity and plurality”.
The legal text is based on values such as “life, liberty, justice, equality, solidarity, democracy, social responsibility, human rights, ethics and political pluralism”, which make up the “democratic and social rule of law and justice”.
The document also establishes “clear safeguards” regarding the crimes that
will be excluded from the legal instrument. Namely:
“serious violations of human rights, crimes against humanity, war crimes, intentional homicide, corruption, and drug trafficking”.
A Presidential Request
On January 23, the acting president announced the creation of the Program for Democratic Coexistence and Peace, which aims in its first hundred days to develop a national plan “aimed at consolidating the tranquility of the country in all its dimensions”, according to the message she wrote then on her Telegram account.
Days later, Rodriguez announced that he would
promote an Amnesty Law covering the political period between 1999, when candidate Hugo Chávez won the presidential elections, to the present.
The dignitary expressed that the bill put the interest in “
closing the wounds” left by both “political violence” and “extremism”.
Previously, the president of the AN stated that the “Bolivarian forces” made an “initial contribution” for the “beginning of the national dialogue” between the different sectors of the political, economic, cultural and social life of the country.
“What we would like is for this law to send a powerful, potent message, of the intention of a new political moment, which also
accelerates dialogue“, he added.
