Venezuela's Guaido stripped of immunity, can face prosecution: official

Venezuelan lawmakers loyal to President Nicolas Maduro stripped opposition leader Juan Guaido's immunity Tuesday -- and authorized the high court to criminally prosecute him for proclaiming himself the crisis-hit country's ruler. Guaido -- whose claim is recognized by over 50 countries -- had earlier expressed fears of being abducted by government agents following a request by the Supreme Court to the Constituent Assembly to lift his parliamentary immunity. Critics of the controversial two-year-old body say it was created to rubber-stamp Maduro's decisions and sideline the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The Constituent Assembly's president, Diosdado Cabello, announced pro-Maduro lawmakers had unanimously authorized the Supreme Court to prosecute Guaido, leaving him also liable to be charged for breaching a January 29 government ban on leaving the country. More…