Nobel laureate Machado could lose citizenship over government criticism
Nobel laureate Machado (Photo: Getty Images)
In Venezuela, an ally of Maduro has called on the Supreme Court to strip opposition leaders, including Nobel laureate María Corina Machado, of their citizenship for disloyalty to the country, according to Bloomberg.
The government of President Nicolás Maduro has intensified repression against the opposition.
Currently, the Supreme Court is considering revoking the citizenship of leading opposition figures, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado and Edmundo González.
The initiator of this move, Maduro ally Luis Ratti, justifies it by citing disloyalty to the country and accuses the politicians of collaborating with foreign states.
However, the country’s constitution states that those who are Venezuelan by birth cannot be deprived of their citizenship, which applies to the opposition leaders in question.
Experts have already compared Maduro’s actions to the policies of Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega, who stripped opposition figures of their citizenship. Human rights organizations warn of a troubling trend of arbitrary arrests, persecution of activists, journalists, and social figures.
Ratti’s list also includes other well-known politicians, including former opposition leader Juan Guaidó and at least five journalists, signaling a systematic crackdown on dissent in the country.
Except for Machado, most individuals on Ratti’s list live in exile, including González, her candidate in last year’s elections, who has been in Spain since September 2024. Venezuela revoked Machado’s passport in 2014, and she has been in hiding for nearly 15 months.
So far, the Venezuelan Supreme Court has not decided on stripping the Nobel laureate of her citizenship.
These moves come amid increasing international pressure on the Maduro regime.
For instance, on October 6, US President Donald Trump halted diplomatic contacts with Venezuela, ordering a stop to all negotiations with Maduro’s representatives.
In turn, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appealed to Pope Leo XIV for help in maintaining peace in the country amid escalating tensions with the US.
