Human rights groups in Venezuela have criticized interim President Delcy Rodríguez for saying a scheme to release political prisoners was 'coming to an end', having been in place for just nine weeks.
Nearly 500 political prisoners have been released under the amnesty law brought in by the country's National Assembly, according to prisoner rights group Foro Penal, but many more are thought to still be in jail.
The group stated that Rodríguez lacked the authority to end the releases, while watchdog Provea called the move 'arbitrary and unconstitutional'.
Despite being a lieutenant of former President Nicolás Maduro, Rodríguez has enjoyed support from Donald Trump since U.S. forces seized Maduro in January.
The U.S. president surprised many by backing Rodríguez over opposition leader María Corina Machado, with the release of political prisoners, including Machado's colleagues, being a key concession to the U.S. by the interim administration.
The president of the National Assembly Jorge Rodríguez, Delcy's brother, initially announced the law, stating that 1,557 political prisoners had applied for amnesty, with plans to eventually cover 11,000 people.
As of April 20, Foro Penal reported that 473 political prisoners had been freed, while over 500 are believed to still be incarcerated.
At a justice officials' meeting in Caracas, Delcy Rodríguez claimed that 8,616 people had been freed under the amnesty law, crediting it as 'very successful in terms of its scope and the number of beneficiaries'.
She mentioned that for cases not covered by the law, 'there are other avenues through which they can be addressed'.
Following Rodríguez's remarks, Foro Penal vice-president Gonzalo Himiob stated that only another legislative act or referendum could repeal the amnesty law, which had no expiration date.
'The bodies of the administration of justice, which are part of the same repressive system that made an amnesty necessary, never truly had either the willingness or the capacity to apply the amnesty law while respecting its purpose or principles,' he added.
This sentiment was echoed by Provea, which asserted that ending the release of political prisoners 'does not contribute to the process of co-existence and peace that has been announced'.
'We have stated that, despite its limitations, the Amnesty Law is a first step toward dismantling the repressive framework that has gripped the rights of the Venezuelan population in recent years,' it stated.
The Justice, Encounter and Pardon group characterized the announcement as 'a grave assault on the rule of law'.
'Unfortunately, this outcome confirms our initial concern: the law ended up being an exercise in political rhetoric rather than a genuine instrument to restore freedom to political prisoners,' it remarked.
For years, Maduro's government has utilized the detention of political prisoners to suppress dissent and silence critics.
Rodríguez has attempted to present her interim administration as more tolerant of political dissent while seeking favor from the U.S.
Earlier this month, Washington lifted sanctions on her, citing progress made 'to promote stability, support economic recovery and advance political reconciliation'.
Trump's decision to support Rodríguez over Machado has been perceived by analysts as prioritizing stability over democracy in the short term.
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the current situation in Venezuela as a 'transition phase' before 'free and fair' elections.
Machado indicated that she intends to lead the country 'when the right time comes'.
However, critics of the interim government lament that there has been minimal discussion of democratic elections since Maduro was seized by U.S. forces and taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
