On 29 March 2016, the National Assembly of Venezuela, controlled by opposition party Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), has passed amnesty legislation to free political prisoners. The bill aims to free over 70 important activists and politicians, that were detained before for political reasons, such as opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. President Nicolás Maduro stated he would veto the bill. In case of an override of this veto by the National Assembly, the Supreme Court is expected to block the legislation as it has done so before. It is another development in the political struggle for power in Venezuela.

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Leopoldo Lopez was detained in 2014 for helping cause anti-government protests, which at the time led to 43 deaths, for which he was held accountable and condemned for 13 years. The sentence was criticized by human right groups. For a profile on the opposition leader click here.

Venezuela is still engulfed in a political and economic crisis as the National Assembly is led by the MUD and seeking to oust current President Nicolás Maduro of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). He in return circumvented the National Assembly earlier by declaring the state of ''Economic Emergency''. The Supreme Court that is composed of pro-government figures has also continuously blocked legislation by the National Assembly.

For more on the plans of the opposition to unseat the current government and its feasibility click here and here.

For more on the economic and political situation of Venezuela click here.
For economic facts and figures on Venezuela click here.