The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, again intervened in the Venezuelan crisis, putting forward the proposal to grant a general amnesty in a potential scenario in which Nicolas Maduro leaves power and a political transition begins in Venezuela, something the Colombian president has been advocating for several weeks.
As the noise and U.S. military threats continue in the Caribbean and reach Caracas, Colombia is seeking to take part in an alternative proposal to solve the Venezuelan political crisis, with a request for a general amnesty that the United States should accept as part of a peaceful and democratic solution.
For Petro, the Venezuelan crisis will not be resolved through increased repression or military responses to external pressure, but through a broad and inclusive political process, an eventual scenario that increasingly and more clearly points to a Venezuela without Maduro.
Colombia’s Petro proposes a general amnesty in the event of a transition in Venezuela
In a public statement, the Colombian president insisted that “it is time for a general amnesty and a transitional government with the inclusion of everyone,” stressing that the defense of the so-called homeland of Bolívar should not rely on foreign invasions or repressive policies, but on deepening democracy and political dialogue.
Petro’s proposal seeks to build a negotiated way out of the Venezuelan crisis that would include the release of political prisoners, the participation of different sectors in a transitional government, and the possibility of granting amnesty to political players from all currents, including those currently in power or in the opposition. For the Colombian president, a general amnesty would open the door to national reconciliation and facilitate the formation of a political pact that would allow Venezuela to overcome years of polarization and institutional deterioration.
According to Petro, if Venezuela were to face an external aggression, the country’s defense cannot depend exclusively on military readiness, but on a “democratic revolution” that renews institutional legitimacy and internal cohesion.
In this regard, Petro has insisted that a transition that excludes the participation of broad sectors risks failing or generating new political disturbances. His call is framed in a historical interpretation according to which major transitions — such as those that followed World War II in Europe — were supported by broad agreements that included diverse social and political forces.
This idea of a broad pact for democratic coexistence is central to his argument for offering amnesty as a tool to dismantle the logic of revenge and repression that has characterized much of the Venezuelan conflict.
‘Democracy and sovereignty’ in the face of external aggression in Venezuela
In a comment on his account on the social network X, Gustavo Petro added that in this context of external threat, Venezuela needs “more democracy” and “a general amnesty,” once again advocating for “a transitional government” that includes both the ruling party and the opposition.
Reclaiming a familiar nationalist tone, he invoked the shared past between Venezuela and Colombia to criticize the U.S. military threat against the neighboring country: “The homeland of Bolivar must not be invaded either by foreigners or by empty rhetoric; nor by prisons of the soul. The homeland of Bolivar is defended with more democracy and sovereignty,” he concluded.
Although Bogota does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela following last year’s controversial elections, it maintains normal diplomatic and commercial relations and has always opposed any form of foreign pressure on the Venezuelan government.
Nevertheless, in a convenient exercise of diplomatic balance, even this week the foreign minister said that Colombia could offer Maduro possible asylum in the country — something that seems unlikely, considering that the departure of the current Venezuelan president — if it were to occur through a political agreement — would likely entail a much greater distance from the man who has held power in Caracas for nearly 13 years.
El gobierno de Maduro debe entender que la respuesta a una agresión externa no es solo un alistamiento militar sino una revolución democrática. Es con más democracia como se defiende un país no con más represiones ineficientes.
Es una amnistía general no extender la cárcel.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) December 10, 2025
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