Venezuela cancels passports of dozens of activists and journalists

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Venezuela has cancelled the passports of dozens of journalists and activists since Nicolás Maduro claimed a re-election victory, part of what rights groups say is an intensifying campaign of repression against the authoritarian president’s opponents.

At least 40 people — mostly journalists and human rights activists — have had their passports annulled without explanation, according to Caracas-based rights group Laboratorio de Paz, which warns that the number is likely to be much higher due to Venezuelans’ fear of reporting cases.

Others have had their passports confiscated by authorities while attempting to board flights from the country’s main airport.

“It was terrifying,” said one rights activist, whose passport was taken by authorities at the airport last week without explanation. He declined to give his name for fear of reprisals. “I knew it was a risk that I could have my passport taken or be jailed when I got to the airport, and they went with the former.”

Carla, a journalist who chose not to give her surname, discovered while abroad that her passport had been cancelled.

“I asked myself, ‘now where do I come from,’” said Carla, who is not sure whether she will try to return home.

The cancellation of passports comes amid a wider campaign of repression in response to anti-government protests that broke out following an election verdict that has not been recognised by the Organization of American States, the US and the EU.

Maduro was declared the victor of the July 28 election by the government-controlled National Electoral Council, with 51 per cent of the vote to the main opposition candidate Edmundo González’s 43 per cent. The supreme court, another organ under Maduro’s sway, ratified the result. But the opposition released polling station tally sheets verified by independent observers showing that González won by a two-to-one margin.

The US congratulated González on winning the most votes, though has stopped short of recognising him as president-elect. Amid fears of his imminent arrest, González fled Venezuela for Spain last month.

“Unlike murder or torture, which have a higher political cost, the government has found that passport cancellation is an effective way to neutralise and muffle critical voices with minimal effort,” said Rafael Uzcátegui, co-director of Laboratorio de Paz.

Since protests broke out against Maduro’s declaration of victory, more than 2,000 people have been arrested and at least 24 people killed during large-scale protests. Maduro has also moved to stifle online dissent, blocking access to X amid a spat with its billionaire owner Elon Musk, and encouraging citizens to uninstall the widely used messaging platform WhatsApp.

Since assuming power following the death of Hugo Chávez in 2013, Maduro has overseen deepening repression amid an economic collapse that saw output contract by three-quarters in the eight years up to 2021, while more than 7mn Venezuelans have left the country.

Some migrants who want to go back to Venezuela now face difficulties in making the return. Since last month, any Venezuelan abroad with an expired passport must obtain a new passport costing about $200 or a travel document from a consulate or embassy at least 72 hours before travelling to Venezuela. But some countries that receive migrants, including the US, Peru and Panama, do not host Venezuelan diplomatic missions that can issue the documents.

Venezuelans can travel within the Mercosur region — the trade bloc suspended Caracas in 2016 — with just a national identity card, though only via direct flights to and from Venezuela. Bolivia, which recognised Maduro’s victory, is the only country in the Latin America grouping with direct flights to Caracas.

One activist, who declined to give their name, said their passport had appeared cancelled when they checked the government’s online registry, only for it to later appear valid. They decided to travel to and from Venezuela by crossing the porous western border into Colombia, rather than through an official checkpoint.

“It’s a policy to instigate fear,” they said. “So I preferred to avoid the airport and cross by land, and I did the same to get back.”