Weaponizing Citizenship: Silencing Dissent in Nicaragua

• Nicaragua and other authoritarian regimes are increasingly using citizenship revocation as a tool to silence political dissent and punish "traitors."
• In 2023, the Nicaraguan government stripped over 300 individuals—including journalists, activists, and clergy—of their nationality following constitutional reforms.
• Similar tactics have been observed in Cambodia and Russia, signaling a trend of state-sponsored statelessness as a means of political exclusion.

The Nicaraguan Case

• On February 9, 2023, following the deportation of 222 political prisoners to the U.S., the National Assembly authorized the removal of nationality from anyone labeled a "traitor to the homeland."
• Co-President Daniel Ortega equates dissent with treason, framing the loss of nationality as a natural consequence for those who "betray" the nation.
• The Ortega-Murillo administration has consolidated power through constitutional changes that weaken human rights protections and eliminate competitive elections; Ortega declared on July 19, 2026, that there will be no more elections in the country.

Global Context of Denationalization

• Historically, states have used denationalization to marginalize minority groups or dissidents, such as Germany, Italy, and France in the 1930s or Panama in 1941.
• Myanmar’s 1982 citizenship law remains a prominent example, stripping the Rohingya of nationality and creating the world’s largest stateless population of approximately 1.8 million people.
• Modern legislative developments include:
  • Cambodia (July 2025): New laws allow the government to revoke citizenship from those deemed guilty of treason or acting against national interests.
  • Russia (July 2026): Legislation targets dissidents living abroad by stripping them of property rights, bank access, and consular services, effectively functioning as a revocation of citizenship.

Implications

• Amnesty International reports that the Nicaraguan government uses these policies to suppress freedom of expression and association.
• Countries including Mexico, Spain, Chile, and Argentina have stepped in to offer naturalization to the Nicaraguans rendered stateless by the current regime.