Venezuela Closes Torture Prison, Proposes Mass Amnesty

After decades of political imprisonment and torture, Venezuela is taking steps toward healing with a sweeping amnesty proposal that could free thousands.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced plans this week to close El Helicoide, a massive former shopping mall turned prison where human rights groups documented torture of political prisoners. The building will transform into a sports and cultural center for police families and neighboring communities.

The proposed amnesty law would cover all political violence cases from 1999 to present, spanning the entire period of authoritarian rule under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Rodríguez told Venezuela's Supreme Court the law "will serve to heal the wounds left by political confrontation."

For families like Betsy Orellana's, the news brings overwhelming relief. The 63-year-old mother hasn't heard from her imprisoned son in six months. "It's wonderful! This is a huge joy, it's total liberation," she told reporters outside El Helicoide.

The changes come less than four weeks after U.S. forces removed Maduro from power in a military operation. Since January 8, fewer than 300 political prisoners have been released, though authorities confirmed Friday that all known American citizens held in Venezuela are now free.

Opposition lawmaker Tomás Guanipa, whose two brothers remain imprisoned, expressed cautious hope. "May this be the beginning of a path that leads us to freedom and democracy, definitively and forever," he said.

The Ripple Effect

The reforms extend beyond prisons. Venezuela's government announced plans for a complete overhaul of its judicial system through nationwide consultation. They've also opened the oil sector to private investment, prompting the United States to ease decades of economic sanctions.

These diplomatic thaw signs include lifting the ban on U.S. flights to Venezuela and reopening the American embassy in Caracas after years of closure. Seasoned diplomat Laura Dogu arrives Saturday as the highest-level U.S. representative in the country since the embassy shuttered.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado cautioned that pressure from Washington drove these changes, not genuine reform. Still, she welcomed the prisoner releases and urged faster action.

Venezuela imprisoned foreigners and domestic critics for years on charges of spying and plotting attacks that human rights groups called fabricated. The amnesty represents a chance to end what Rodríguez called an era fueled by "violence and extremism."

For families camping outside prison walls and mothers who haven't heard their children's voices in months, these policy changes mean everything.