Venezuelan Acting President Announces Closure of Helicoide Prison and Introduction of Amnesty Bill
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has officially announced the permanent closure of the El Helicoide detention center and the introduction of a general amnesty bill intended to release political prisoners. The announcement was made this Friday during the opening of the 2026 judicial year at the Supreme Court of Justice. Rodríguez stated that the notorious facility, which has served as the headquarters for the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), will be repurposed into a social, sports, and cultural center for local communities and police families.
The proposed amnesty law aims to cover the “entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present,” potentially benefiting hundreds of detainees. This legislative move follows weeks of significant political upheaval in Venezuela, coming less than a month after a U.S. military operation resulted in the capture and removal of former President Nicolás Maduro. Since assuming the role of interim leader, Rodríguez has implemented several reforms aligned with international demands, including opening the state oil sector to private investment.
El Helicoide, originally built in the 1950s as an avant-garde shopping mall, became a global symbol of repression under the Maduro administration. International watchdogs and former detainees have frequently cited the spiral-shaped structure as a site of systematic torture, overcrowding, and human rights abuses. The decision to shut it down marks a symbolic dismantling of the previous security apparatus, a move that has drawn praise from U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, who recently characterized the facility as a “torture chamber.”
However, significant objections and skepticism remain regarding the interim government’s true intentions. Opposition leader María Corina Machado argued that these measures are not acts of goodwill but forced concessions resulting from intense U.S. pressure. “The regime’s repressive apparatus is brutal… actions are not taken voluntarily,” Machado stated. Additionally, the human rights organization Foro Penal welcomed the news with caution, warning that the amnesty law must not become a “cloak of impunity” for state officials who perpetrated abuses. Activists highlight that while the closure is positive, the specific criteria for the amnesty remain vague, and previous “revolving door” policies have seen prisoners released only to be replaced by new detainees.
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