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A special commission of Venezuela's National Assembly announced Tuesday that over 3,200 people have been fully released since the amnesty law took effect four days ago. This group includes both former detainees and those previously under house arrest or other restrictive measures. Lawmaker Jorge Arreaza, who leads the commission overseeing the amnesty law, said in a news conference that authorities have already received 4,203 applications for the program. He said that after evaluating these requests, 3,052 people previously under house arrest or other restrictive measures have been granted full freedom. Additionally, another 179 individuals who were in prison have also been released. In the days after the Jan 3 capture of then-President Nicolas Maduro, Rodriguez's government announced it would release a significant number of prisoners. However, relatives and human rights watchdogs have criticised the slow pace of releases and the restrictive conditions under which many have been ...
Venezuela's legislature on Thursday approved an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of politicians, activists, lawyers and many others, effectively acknowledging that the government has held hundreds of people in prison for political motivations. The approval marks a stark turn for the South American nation, whose authorities have for decades denied holding any political prisoners. It is the latest policy reversal following last month's stunning U.S. military raid in the country's capital, Caracas, to capture then-President Nicolas Maduro. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who proposed the bill late last month, is expected to sign the measure, which outlines the eligibility and exclusions for people to be granted amnesty, and therefore, be released after months or years of being in custody. "It's not perfect, but it's a great step forward," opposition lawmaker Nora Bracho said during the debate. "It will alleviate the suffering of many Venezuelans." The measure is expected
President Donald Trump celebrated the special forces members who ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying last month's audacious raid means "the entire world saw what the full military might" of the US can do and ensured "we are feared" by potential enemies around the world. Addressing soldiers and their families at Fort Bragg, one of the world's largest military bases, Trump declared, "Your commander in chief supports you totally." Then, drawing on one of his own campaign slogans, he implored them, "When needed, you're going to fight, fight, fight. You're going to win, win, win." The president and first lady Melania Trump also met privately with military families. But the visit felt more like a political rally than an official visit to celebrate the US armed forces. Trump's lauding of the raid that toppled Maduro came only after he called to the stage Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chair who has the president's endorsement as he now runs for Senate
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) have jointly bought 2 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil - the second deal that Indian refiners have struck since oil restarted flowing into international markets. The two firms have bought 2 million barrels of Merey crude from Trafigura for delivery in the second half of April, sources said. 1.5 million barrels of oil will be delivered to IOC's Paradip refinery in Odisha and rest 500,000 barrels to HPCL's Visakhapatnam unit in Andhra Pradesh. This is the second deal for Venezuelan crude after Reliance Industries bought 2 million barrels of Venezuelan oil for April delivery from Vitol. The world's third-largest oil consumer halted Venezuelan crude purchases after US sanctions were reimposed. It has resumed imports after the US granted Vitol and Trafigura a licence to sell Venezuelan oil after President Nicolas Maduro was seized in a military operation and Washington asserted control over the
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Monday said one of her closest allies was kidnapped hours after being released from prison. The government had released several prominent opposition members from prison on Sunday after lengthy politically motivated detentions. Machado said on social media that Juan Pablo Guanipa was taken around midnight in a residential neighbourhood of the capital, Caracas. "Heavily armed men, dressed in civilian clothes, arrived in four vehicles and violently took him away," she posted on X. "We demand his immediate release." The releases of the opposition figures came as the government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez has faced mounting pressure to free hundreds of people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked to their political activities. The releases also followed a visit to Venezuela of representatives of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. The government's press office did not immediately respond to a request
Dozens of relatives and friends of Venezuelan opposition leaders, human rights defenders and others detained for their political activities protested Saturday outside a notorious prison in the capital to demand the immediate release of their loved ones. The demonstration outside Helicoide prison in Caracas comes during mounting pressure on the government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez to release all people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked by their families and nongovernmental organisations to their political beliefs. Her government last month announced it would free a significant number of prisoners, but families and human rights watchdogs have criticised authorities for the slow pace of the releases. Rodriguez last month also promised to close Helicoide, where torture and other forms of physical and psychological abuse of prisoners have been extensively documented. She said the facility, which was initially built to be a mall, would be turned into a ...
The US military said on Thursday that it has carried out another deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. US Southern Command said on social media that the boat "was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations." It said the strike killed two people. A video linked to the post shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames. The strike was announced just hours after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that "some top cartel drug-traffickers" in the region "have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean." However, Hegseth did not provide any details or information to back up this claim, made in a post on his personal account on social media. Neither US Southern Command nor the Pentagon would answer follow-up questions about Hegseth's claim. Thursday's strike raises t
The US government on Thursday announced an additional USD 6 million in aid for Cuba as the island's crisis deepens and tensions escalate between the two countries, with Cuba's president accusing the US of an "energy blockade." The aid is largely meant for those living in Cuba's eastern region, which Hurricane Melissa slammed into late last year. The supplies include rice, beans, pasta, cans of tuna and solar lamps that will be delivered by the Catholic Church and Caritas, said US Department of State Senior Official Jeremy Lewin. He warned that officials with the US embassy in Cuba will be out in the field "making sure that the regime does not take the assistance, divert it, try to politicise it." The US previously sent USD 3 million in disaster relief to Cuban people affected by Melissa. Lewin rejected that a halt in oil shipments from Venezuela -- after the US attacked the South American country and arrested its then leader -- is responsible for the humanitarian situation in Cuba.