Published on: Oct 26, 2025 04:44 am IST
It’s the first time the Venezuelan government is using the legislation to target a political opponent.
Venezuela’s government said on Saturday it moved to strip a prominent opposition leader of his citizenship for “calling for a foreign military intervention,” marking a significant escalation of its efforts to repress dissidents.
President Nicolás Maduro filed an appeal before the Supreme Court of Justice on Friday to strip the nationality of Leopoldo López, 54, based on the controversial Simón Bolívar Law targeting supporters and advocates of foreign nations’ actions against Venezuela, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said in a statement posted on her Telegram account.
López, a former political prisoner in exile since 2020, also persistently promoted an economic blockade against Venezuela, Rodriguez said, adding the government will also move to annul the politician’s passport.
It’s the first time the Venezuelan government is using the legislation to target a political opponent. Maduro faces intensifying pressure from the US, which is sending an aircraft carrier strike group to Latin America following a series of strikes against alleged drug-running vessels. Donald Trump also indicated that US military activities could soon expand to include targets within Venezuela.
“They want to put up a threatening barrier to prevent further support for this current scenario,” López said in an interview with EFE following Rodriguez’s announcement. He said Maduro’s “narco-dictatorship” reacted in this “cornered” way because the “overwhelming majority” of Venezuelans share his stance.
It’s not clear how the government is using the legislation as the basis to strip Lopez of his nationality. The measure imposes severe penalties, including 30 years of imprisonment and disqualification from political office for 60 years, for those who back sanctions against Venezuela, but it does not provide grounds for the revocation of citizenship.
The Venezuelan constitution also states that those who are Venezuelans by birth, such as Lopez, can’t be stripped of their nationality.
