Thousands of people participated on Thursday in the first major opposition demonstration since the capture of Nicolas Maduro during an American operation in early January. This mobilization takes place on the day when the National Assembly was to adopt an amnesty law which should lead to mass releases of political prisoners. Approval of this law was ultimately postponed.

Published on: 02/12/2026 - 9:09 p.m. Modified on: 02/12/2026 - 9:36 p.m.

Crucial day in Venezuela: thousands of people take part, Thursday, February 12, in the first major opposition demonstration since the fall of Nicolas Maduro.

“We are not afraid!”, chanted earlier thousands of people who gathered at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) in Caracas for the first major mobilization since the capture of the Venezuelan president by the American army on January 3.

“Amnesty now”, we can read on a banner displayed at the entrance to the UCV, the largest university in the country and the place of criticism of Chavismo, the socialist-inspired doctrine founded by the late president Hugo Chavez (1999-2013).

That same day, the National Assembly was also to begin the final debate with a view to adopting a general amnesty law. Venezuelan parliamentarians finally postponed, after a unanimous vote, the adoption of this law which should lead to the release of political detainees in the country, due to the lack of agreement on at least one article.

“We will continue the discussion at the next regular session next week,” said Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodriguez, brother of the interim president, after the vote. Promised by Delcy Rodriguez, under American pressure after the capture of Nicolas Maduro on January 3, the law was approved at first reading on February 5 and was to be approved on Thursday.

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In addition to promising the general amnesty law, interim President Delcy Rodriguez also opened Venezuela's vast oil resources to the private sector and ordered the closure of the infamous Helicoida prison, denounced as a torture center by opposition and human rights activists.

Towards the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela

The law was approved at first reading on February 5. The second debate for its final adoption was initially scheduled for Tuesday, but it was postponed due to the mandatory public consultation process before the adoption of a law. Lawyers, opposition leaders and even families of political prisoners participated.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab also responded to the call alongside other members of the judiciary.

Read alsoVenezuela: political prisoners released from prison, but “not free” nonetheless

“We deserve peace, that everything be debated through dialogue,” said Tarek William Saab in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP). The amnesty, he estimated, must therefore lead to a gesture from the United States: the release of deposed President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, detained in New York.

Jorge Rodriguez, brother of Delcy Rodriguez, who presides over Parliament, announced last week that adoption of the law would result in the release of all political prisoners. “Once this law is approved, the same day, they will all come out,” he promised in front of national police cells in Caracas.

The vote on the amnesty law should have coincided with the two-day visit to Venezuela by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who is visiting oil fields on Thursday with the interim president. On Wednesday, he spoke of a "turning point" in bilateral relations, stressing that "the quarantine of (Venezuelan) oil is essentially over."

“Today we rise, we unite and we come together”

A sign of the tensions within power, an opposition leader, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was released from prison as part of the releases on Sunday, but arrested again 12 hours later before being sent to Maracaibo, under house arrest.

Authorities accused him of violating his parole after demanding elections during a demonstration with relatives of political prisoners.

See alsoVenezuela: residents testify to the climate of fear and uncertainty after the fall of Maduro

"VENEZUELA WILL BE FREE! Long live our students!", rejoiced on X the leader of the opposition and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, accompanying her message with a video showing part of the demonstration.

“We have spent a lot of time in hiding, mute, silent in the face of everything that Venezuela has experienced with repression (...), but today we stand up, we unite and we all come together to demand each of the necessary demands for this country,” Dannalice Anza, a 26-year-old geography student, present at Thursday's demonstration, told AFP.

“The country is currently entering a process of reconciliation, of mutual recognition, where plurality must be essential. The way of thinking of each of us must be respected,” she added.

The government, for its part, also organized a demonstration, which attracted thousands of participants on this Youth Day.

With AFP

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