CARACAS — Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, announced on Friday, January 30, 2026, a broad amnesty law covering hundreds of prisoners and revealed plans to convert the notorious Helicoide detention center in Caracas — long accused by human rights groups of being a site of torture and political repression — into a hub for sports and social services.
Speaking during a ceremony marking the start of the new judicial year at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, Rodríguez stated that the amnesty would apply to cases from 1999 to the present. She specified, however, that it would exclude individuals prosecuted for drug trafficking, homicide, corruption, and human rights violations.
The announcement comes nearly a month after a dramatic U.S. military operation on January 3, 2026, in which American forces captured former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, transporting them to New York to face federal charges of drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Both pleaded not guilty at their arraignment.
U.S. President Donald Trump subsequently declared that his administration would “run” Venezuela and manage its oil assets during an unspecified transitional period, citing the need to stabilize the country and prevent a power vacuum. Rodríguez was installed as acting president by the Maduro-aligned National Assembly shortly after the capture.
Rodríguez framed the amnesty and Helicoide repurposing as steps toward national reconciliation and institutional reform. The Helicoide, a spiral-shaped building originally designed as a shopping center but repurposed as a detention facility under the Chávez and Maduro governments, has been repeatedly condemned by human rights organizations as a symbol of state repression. Foro Penal and other groups have documented allegations of torture, extrajudicial killings, and inhumane conditions at the site.
The amnesty move drew mixed reactions. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent opposition leader María Corina Machado described it as a concession extracted under U.S. pressure rather than a voluntary act of goodwill. “This is not generosity from the regime — it is the result of external force and internal collapse,” Machado said in a statement posted on social media.
Alfredo Romero, executive director of the Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal, expressed cautious optimism but emphasized conditions for meaningful change. In a post on X, Romero wrote: “A general amnesty is welcome as long as its elements and conditions include all of civil society, without discrimination, do not become a cloak of impunity, and contribute to dismantling the repressive apparatus of political persecution.”
The Helicoide announcement was welcomed by some local activists and community groups in Caracas, who viewed the transformation into a sports and social services center as a potential step toward healing and community recovery. However, Foro Penal and Amnesty International urged international oversight to ensure the facility is fully decommissioned as a detention center and that any past abuses are independently investigated.
The U.S. State Department and White House had not issued immediate comments on Rodríguez’s announcements as of late Friday. President Trump’s administration has maintained that Venezuela’s transitional governance must prioritize democratic restoration, human rights accountability, and economic stabilization under U.S.-backed mechanisms.
The amnesty and Helicoide repurposing plans come amid ongoing uncertainty about Venezuela’s political future. With Maduro in U.S. custody awaiting trial, competing claims of legitimacy persist between the acting government in Caracas, opposition factions, and the U.S.-recognized transitional framework.
Human rights groups continue to call for the release of all political prisoners, an end to repression, and credible elections. The fate of hundreds still detained on politically related charges — and the future use of facilities like the Helicoide — will likely remain focal points in both domestic and international debates over Venezuela’s transition.
