A Venezuelan court has denied amnesty to journalist Gabriel González, an associate of opposition leader María Corina Machado, despite previous assurances from judicial authorities that he was included in the benefit.
González reported on X that court officials informed him in March that he would be granted amnesty. He was instructed to return 15 days later to collect the formal documentation.
Upon his return, the journalist found no record of the pardon in the court system. "If [I] was on a list, [I] am no longer," González wrote, questioning what occurred during that 15-day window.
Judicial irregularities
The journalist also noted that the court recently notified him of the denial of a dismissal of his case. He further alleged that authorities are blocking him from appointing private counsel or accessing copies of his legal files.
González stated this lack of transparency shows that the Amnesty Law is applied at the discretion of judges. He argued that the situation demonstrates a lack of political will to restore the rule of law in the country.
González was detained in June 2024, shortly before the presidential elections. According to Machado, the journalist was intercepted while out for lunch and taken to the Helicoide, the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin).
He was released in January as part of a broader release of journalists under the administration of Delcy Rodríguez. This administration took power following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the United States.
Human rights groups have previously flagged similar issues regarding the amnesty process. The NGO Foro Penal reported that some courts refuse to provide families with written proof of amnesty denials.
Gonzalo Himiob, vice president of Foro Penal, called these practices grave because they prevent the use of legal appeals. The current Amnesty Law, passed in February, covers events dating back to 1999 but excludes many civil and military political prisoners.
