Amnesty International on Monday urged Venezuelan authorities to ensure that a newly enacted amnesty law is employed justly and impartially, following reports of arbitrary application.

The rights group expressed concerns that Venezuelan courts have selectively applied the law, which grants “full and general” amnesty for people detained or convicted for political offenses. While many political prisoners have been granted redress under the newly enacted law, many high-profile political prisoners have been refused amnesty “without explanation.”

The Amnesty Bill for Democratic Coexistence came into effect on February 13. The UN “cautiously” welcomed the bill, but called for greater transparency and “the safe and meaningful participation of victims, their families, and civil society.”

Of those denied amnesty is 16-year old Samantha Hernández, who was detained in 2025 without explanation by Venezuela’s Military Counterintelligence Directorate. She was charged with terrorism, criminal association, and incitement to hatred, though many claim her arrest was politically motivated. The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) highlighted connections to her brother, a military officer “in exile after being accused of treason against the homeland.” His pregnant wife, Hernández’s 19-year old sister, and uncle were also detained.

The Trial Court of the Juvenile Criminal Responsibility System denied Hernández’s amnesty on March 16. WOLA criticized the decision and urged Venezuelan authorities to “protect [her] integrity and grant her full freedom.”

Human rights advocate and attorney Carlos Trapani claimed in a post that the court’s application of the law has been arbitrary in cases like Hernández’s, stating:

The Amnesty Law is not an option that a judge can freely accept or reject. It is mandatory. If its conditions are met, it must be applied. Furthermore, the law itself establishes a simple rule: when there is doubt, the decision must be made in the way that best protects human rights.

Amnesty International warned that the law’s “implementation must not rely on discretionary criteria that perpetuate the political repression the law is, in theory, intended to remedy.” The group called on Venezuelan authorities to investigate and ensure that “victims, their families and society as a whole [are provided] with the reparation they deserve.”