Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, demanded in an exclusive interview with Newsmax that the Trump administration "immediately" return former dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured by U.S. forces to face federal drug charges in New York.
"What I do believe is that President Maduro and the first lady, Cilia Flores, who have been captured, you know, looking into international law, they should be freed immediately," Rodriguez told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" through an interpreter on Saturday in Caracas.
Rodriguez, whose sister is acting president Delcy Rodriguez, was noncommittal when asked whether Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, leader of the opposition Vente party, would be freely allowed to return.
Machado has been in exile since fleeing Venezuela, where she had been in hiding, to receive the Nobel Prize in December.
"So, allow me not to speak only about one single name because there are many, many actors who are abroad that have to be included in these discussions," Rodriguez said. "Let me give you my personal opinion.
"There's an amnesty law that has been done at the moment that contemplates working with people, but there are sectors of the opposition abroad which have promoted violence.
"Let me clarify this. We want to make this very, very clear that through this amnesty law, we are promoting for all the sectors of the opposition who are abroad to comply with the law that they can come back to the country."
The amnesty law, which would grant immediate clemency to people jailed for participating in political protests or criticizing public figures, passed unanimously Thursday in the first of two necessary votes at the National Assembly, which is controlled by the socialist ruling party.
The date for a second session to debate the matter has not yet been set.
According to a draft seen by Reuters, the bill would also return assets of those detained and cancel Interpol and other international measures previously issued by the government, allowing opposition figures in exile, such as Machado, to return.
"President Rodriguez has put forward two special programs," Rodriguez said. "One that talks about peace and coexistence of everybody in Venezuela.
"And the second is a program of meetings between all sectors of the opposition and the Venezuelan government. … We have met with every single sector of the opposition.
"She has brought forward many proposals, one of which [is] very special, is the amnesty law, which was passed already in the first round and was still going to move forward."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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