In his first formal declarations before a New York federal court following his abduction, the constitutional president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, and affirmed: “I am the President of Venezuela, and I consider myself as a prisoner of war.”
According to information reported by the Russian RT news portal, the Venezuelan president denounced before Judge Alvin Hellerstein that he had been kidnapped and forcibly removed from his residence in Caracas, in the context of the massive U.S. military aggression against Venezuela: “I am not guilty, I am a decent man, I am still the President of my country,” he affirmed, rejecting the accusation of alleged narcoterrorist conspiracy.
The First Lady, Cilia Flores, who appeared alongside him, also pleaded “not guilty, completely innocent.”
The charges brought by the U.S. prosecution include alleged “narcoterrorist conspiracy,” “conspiracy to import cocaine,” and possession of weapons and destructive devices against the United States.
The defense attorney, Barry Pollack – known for having defended Julian Assange – announced a “practice of substantial motion,” based on two pillars:
– The sovereign immunity that protects Nicolás Maduro as Head of State of a sovereign country.
– The illegality of his capture and transfer by U.S. military forces, classified as a kidnapping in violation of the international law.
The defense attorneys also alerted on the physical condition of the Venezuelan president and his wife. Pollack reported that the president has “health and medical problems that will require attention.” For his part, attorney Mark Donnelly detailed that the First Lady “suffered significant injuries during her abduction,” including a possible fracture or severe bruising of the ribs, due to which he requested an urgent medical evaluation. Currently, both are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The second hearing in the case against the Venezuelan head of state has been scheduled for March 17.