In embattled Venezuela, human rights groups push legal escape hatch for Maduro regime

Do Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his cronies need a pardon? Almost 40 human rights groups in the embattled country are trying to build support around the idea of a legal escape hatch that might make it easier for Maduro and other ruling party officials to step down amid increasingly lethal street protests that have stretched for more than two months and show no signs of abating. Paz Activa, a Caracas-based rights organization, is promoting the idea of a “transitional justice” regime that might offer reduced sentences and penalties for officials willing to step down, recognize their victims and make amends. “What we’re searching for, what we’re looking for, is a type of bridge that will allow a political transition,” said Paz Activa Director Luis Cedeño. More…