Maduro pleads innocent in the US and says he is a “prisoner of war” in NY

The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, declared his innocence this Monday (5) before the United States Court, during his first hearing in New York since he was captured by US forces in Caracas.

Before federal judge Alvin Hellerstein, Maduro stated that he remains the Venezuelan head of state and defined his detention as a kidnapping in the context of international aggression, classifying himself as a “prisoner of war”.

During the hearing held at the Federal Court Daniel Patrick Moynihan, in New York, Maduro formally rejected all accusations presented by the US prosecutor’s office and stated that he does not recognize the case as criminal, but as the result of military action against a sitting head of state.

“I am the president of Venezuela and I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was captured at my home in Caracas”, he declared to the magistrate, before being interrupted. He then stated: “I am innocent, I am a decent man and I continue to be the president of my country”.

The public demonstration marked the first time that Maduro spoke before judicial authorities since the episode that occurred last Saturday (3), when US forces carried out a military attack in Caracas, with bombings and the kidnapping of the presidential couple, illegally removing them from the country.

The indictment, originally formulated in 2020 and recently updated by the US Department of Justice, accuses the Venezuelan president of crimes such as “narcoterrorism” conspiracy, international cocaine trafficking and possession of weapons and explosives.

Maduro and his wife formally heard the charges read during the hearing and both pleaded “not guilty”.

The president’s defense maintained that the arrest is illegal and raised central questions about presidential immunity, jurisdiction and lack of prior notification of positions. According to lawyers, Maduro told the judge that he had not been formally informed of the charges before his arrest, a point considered sensitive from the point of view of due legal process.

Maduro’s defense is led by lawyer Barry Pollack, an American criminalist who gained international prominence for being part of the legal team of the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, in processes related to extradition and the indictment brought by the United States.

According to the defense, Pollack works on the Venezuelan case with a focus on issues of the legality of the arrest and the immunity of the head of state.

First lady Cilia Flores also pleaded not guilty and requested a consular visit. His lawyer, Mark Donnelly, informed the court that Flores suffered injuries during the military operation that resulted in his capture and that, at the time of the hearing, he had not received adequate medical attention.

According to the defense, the injuries are visible and include heavy bruises, with suspected fractures, which would constitute a violation of international treaties on the treatment of detained people.

The judge ordered the defense to coordinate with the prosecution the procedures to guarantee a medical evaluation, without setting a specific deadline.

The situation was presented by lawyers as incompatible with international standards for the protection of prisoners and detainees, including humanitarian obligations provided for in multilateral conventions.

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