Venezuela seeks ‘reconciliation’ with amnesty

CARACAS

embers of Venezuela's National Assembly vote to approve the amnesty bill proposed by Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodr�guez, in Caracas, on Feb. 5.

Venezuela's parliament on Feb. 5 gave its initial approval to a landmark amnesty bill covering the types of charges used to lock up dissidents under ousted leader Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez.

But the bill does not cover serious human rights abuses committed during 27 years of socialist rule.

The legislation, which aims to turn the page on nearly three decades of state repression, marks an early milestone in the post-Maduro transition.

It was spearheaded by interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who replaced Maduro after he was captured by U.S. forces in Caracas last month and flown to New York to face trial.

The Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence, which AFP obtained a copy of, covers "treason," "terrorism" and spreading "hate," charges frequently used to lock up dissidents during "Chavista" rule, under Maduro and Chavez.

Rodriguez hailed parliament's approval on its first reading "a very important step" toward "peace and national reconciliation."

The bill also lifts the ban on running for office for several opposition members, including Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado.

Parliament chief Jorge Rodriguez, brother of the acting president and recently a member of Maduro's inner circle, apologized to Venezuelans for crimes committed by the state since Chavez took power in 1999.

"We ask for forgiveness and we too must forgive," he said, holding up a photograph of Chavez clutching a crucifix.

Opposition MP Tomas Guanipa, who has one brother in prison and another under house arrest, said the bill could mark a "new, historic chapter" for Venezuela, where people would no longer be "afraid to speak their minds for fear of being imprisoned."