Venezuela must restore the unlawfully and arbitrarily revoked passports of opposition activists, rights defenders, and journalists, IACHR says

May 20, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the office of its Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression stress their rejection of the unlawful and arbitrary revocation of passports belonging to opposition activists, rights defenders, and journalists in Venezuela. The State must immediately restore these identity documents that enable holders to travel, go about their everyday business and family activities, and access international protection services, among others. The State must also end all forms of repression aimed at instilling fear in civilians. The international community must continue to foster mechanisms and agreements that enable recognition of expired Venezuelan documents and documents that have been revoked by Venezuelan authorities.

IACHR monitoring efforts have shown that at least 40 Venezuelans have had their passports unlawfully revoked. This practice—criticized by the IACHR and by the office of its Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression in their most recent report concerning Venezuela—is part of a systematic strategy implemented by Venezuelan authorities to scare and silence critics, particularly those who denounced abuse and lack of transparency around the presidential elections of July 28, 2024.

The affected individuals have not been officially notified of the revocation of their passports or of the reasons and legal grounds for such revocations. In most cases, the holders of those passports learned of their revocation when they checked document status on the website of the Venezuelan identification and migration service (SAIME). In other cases, holders were told that their passports had been revoked by SAIME staff at airports, as they attempted to travel within Venezuela or to leave the country. Fear of further retaliation, including arbitrary arrests and forced disappearances, has led many of these individuals to refrain from asking Venezuelan authorities for explanations of why their passports have been revoked. Others have opted to leave the country through irregular border crossings.

Victim profiles—opposition activists, rights defenders, and journalists—and lack of transparency surrounding passport revocations indicate that they are being conducted in retaliation for holders' efforts in defense of human rights, the exercise of freedom of expression, and political participation. These actions instill fear and a sense of being under constant surveillance, and they have a serious impact on fundamental rights like the rights to freedom of movement, family life, employment, and personal integrity. They also prevent the affected individuals from persisting in their efforts to report rights violations.

The State of Venezuela must restore all passports that have been unlawfully revoked, definitively end all practices aimed at silencing critics, and above all take concrete action to restore democracy and the rule of law. To that end, the State must restore the separation of powers and the independence of institutions including the Supreme Court of Justice and the Public Prosecutor's Office.

The international community must use all available diplomatic and institutional tools to help restore democracy in Venezuela, as well as fostering mechanisms and agreements to recognize expired Venezuelan identity documents and documents that have been arbitrarily revoked by Venezuelan authorities and to enable their holders to exercise their full rights.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence. 

No. 106/25

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