GUATIRE, Venezuela, Feb 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Interim president Delcy 
Rodriguez promised Monday that Venezuelans in exile would be welcomed back 
with open arms following a new amnesty law passed after the US ouster of 
Nicolas Maduro, as authorities continued to slowly release prisoners.

"I am telling you: the doors of Venezuela, the arms of the Venezuelan people 
are open to those who want to return in this process of healing from hatred," 
she said in a televised address.

Seven million Venezuelans have fled their homeland due to the political and 
economic crisis and many opposition figures live in exile.

Meanwhile, at least 30 prisoners were released Monday from the Rodeo I 
penitentiary east of Caracas to scenes of rejoicing from waiting relatives, 
following the passage of the amnesty law.

"We are free," shouted several prisoners with shaved heads as they exited the 
prison gates, ending an anguished wait by their families.

"We are completely free, without any restrictions," Luis Viera, one of the 
released prisoners, told AFP. He had been jailed for 13 months.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Venezuela's Foreign 
Minister Yvan Gil Pinto demanded the immediate release of Maduro.

Maduro, who was ousted as president in a January 3 raid by the United States, 
is in custody in New York along with his wife, awaiting trial.

The 63-year-old has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges and 
declared that he was a "prisoner of war."

"January 3, 2026, marked a turning point of extreme gravity," Gil told the 
top UN rights body on Monday, adding that the "illegal military action" by US 
forces left over 100 people killed.

- 'Reconciliation' aim -

Gil stressed that his country was "working toward a process of acknowledging 
past wounds, forgiveness, and reconciliation," referring to the amnesty law.

The country's legislature unanimously adopted the landmark law last Thursday, 
and interim leader Rodriguez hailed its passage, describing it as a step 
toward "a more democratic, fairer, freer Venezuela."

Rodriguez's brother, parliament chief Jorge Rodriguez, said 1,500 people had 
applied for the amnesty, which covers a range of charges used to lock up 
dissidents during 27 years of hardline socialist rule.

Some 600 political prisoners remain behind bars throughout the country, 
according to Foro Penal -- an NGO dedicated to the defense of political 
prisoners -- despite approximately 500 people being released since January.

- Thaw with West -

Opposition figures have criticized the new legislation, which appears to 
exclude some offenses previously used to target Maduro's political opponents. 
Nor does it include military offenses, such as attempted coups.

The amnesty law has helped accelerate a thaw in Venezuela's ties with the 
West.

The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Monday she would 
propose lifting EU sanctions on Delcy Rodriguez.

Elsewhere, the UN rights office said it was in talks with Caracas to reopen 
its mission in Venezuela. Its staff were expelled in February 2024.

In a further sign of a break with the past, Rodriguez on Monday dismissed 
from her cabinet the wife of a businessman accused of serving as Maduro's 
frontman in corruption schemes.

Alex Saab was indicted in the United States for money laundering but returned 
to Venezuela in 2024 as part of a prisoner swap to take up the role of 
industry minister.

Rodriguez removed him from his position in January.

On Monday, she sacked his wife Camilla Fabri, who served as deputy minister 
for international communication.