Khaberni - Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will appear before a court in New York on Thursday for the second time since his arrest by U.S. forces in a surprise military operation in Caracas.
Maduro (63 years old) and his wife Cilia Flores have been held in a prison in Brooklyn for about three months after they were arrested by a U.S. special forces unit from their residential complex in Caracas in early January.
The lightning operation led to the overthrow of Maduro, who had been ruling Venezuela since 2013, and largely forced the oil-rich country to submit to the will of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Maduro declared himself a "prisoner of war" and pleaded not guilty to the four charges against him: conspiracy to "drug terrorism", conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
The hearing on Thursday at 11:00 AM (15:00 GMT) is likely to see Maduro attempting to have his case dropped, while lawyers dispute who will pay the legal fees.
The Venezuelan government is trying to cover the costs, but due to sanctions imposed by Washington, his lawyer Barry Pollack must obtain an American license that has not yet been issued.
Pollack stated in a memo submitted to the court that the licensing requirements violate Maduro's constitutional right to legal representation, and requested that the case be dismissed on procedural grounds.
- "The President" -
Maduro, detained in a Brooklyn prison known to be one of the largest in the United States and infamous for its poor health conditions and management gaps, is isolated in a cell and does not have access to the internet or newspapers, according to reports.
A source close to the Venezuelan government said that Maduro reads the Bible and is called "the President" by some prisoners; he is not allowed to communicate by phone with his family and lawyers except for a maximum of 15 minutes per call.
His son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, said "The lawyers told us that he is strong. He told us not to be sad," adding that his father told him, "We are fine (he and Cilia), we are fighters."
Maduro and his wife were forcibly taken in the early hours of January 3rd during air raids on the Venezuelan capital with the involvement of warplanes and a large naval deployment.
At least 83 people were killed and more than 112 others were injured in the attack, according to Venezuelan officials. Meanwhile, none of the U.S. forces personnel were killed.
- American Pressure -
In his first appearance before a U.S. court in January, Maduro defiantly introduced himself as the President of Venezuela despite his arrest.
Currently, Delcy Rodríguez leads the country after serving as vice president since 2018.
Under U.S. pressure, Rodríguez struggles to lead a country with the world's largest oil reserves while its economy is in dire straits.
Since then, Rodríguez has enacted a historic amnesty law to free political prisoners detained during Maduro’s tenure, and she has reformed oil and mining laws in line with U.S. demands for access to her country's vast natural wealth.
The U.S. State Department announced this month that it is in the process of re-establishing diplomatic relations with Venezuela, signaling an improvement in relations.
Increased security measures are expected at the New York court for the hearing on Thursday.
