US offers amnesty to Maduro if he gives up power
The United States has reportedly offered an amnesty to Nicolás Maduro if he relinquishes power and leaves Venezuela.
The move is intended to ease a democratic transition in the troubled nation after the strongman president claimed an improbable victory in last month’s election, marred by widespread allegations of fraud.
The potential amnesty follows secret talks between Jorge Rodríguez, the speaker of the Venezuelan congress and a close ally of Mr Maduro, and Daniel Erikson, who heads Venezuela policy for the White House’s National Security Council.
One of the biggest obstacles to the autocrat and his inner circle stepping down is the list of serious criminal charges they would face, for crimes ranging from human rights abuses to the theft of billions of dollars of public resources.
Since 2020, Washington has even offered a $15 million (£11.7 million) reward for Mr Maduro’s arrest for his alleged role in allowing hundreds of tons of cocaine to funnel through Venezuela on its way to the US.
But now Joe Biden’s administration appears to be willing to waive that prosecution, according to three White House sources consulted by The Wall Street Journal, in the interests of restoring democracy in Venezuela.
Mr Maduro’s response to the offer remains unclear. But, as Venezuelan security forces engage in a crackdown on anyone protesting his supposed re-election, there are no outward signs of him acquiescing.
Even if he were to accepted the US offer, Mr Maduro has shown himself to be an untrustworthy negotiating partner who routinely reneges on his word.
The most recent example was a deal with Washington last year to allow free and fair elections in return for the suspension of US sanctions. Mr Maduro followed that by barring María Corina Machado, who won the opposition primary by more than 90 per cent, from running, and then arresting a dozen members of her team.
Separately, the International Criminal Court is now investigating Mr Maduro, including looking at the wave of brutal repression following the election. Venezuelans have dubbed it “tuntun”, meaning knock knock, as security forces go from house to house to drag critics from their homes.
The ICC is independent of Washington and it is unclear whether its judges would consider a similar amnesty for Mr Maduro.