New York. Venezuela’s ousted President Nicolas Maduro was presented in the US Federal Court in Manhattan on Monday amid tight security. During this time, the atmosphere of the courtroom became extremely tense when Maduro not only rejected the charges of narco-terrorism against him, but also declared himself the kidnapped President in the packed court. Maduro, dressed in prison uniform and with leg shackles, claimed in front of the judge that he had been illegally kidnapped from his country and brought to America.
In their first appearance before US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, Maduro and his wife Celia Flores pleaded innocent to all four serious drug trafficking charges. As the hearing began and the judge asked him to confirm his identity, instead of giving a brief answer, Maduro insisted in Spanish, “I am the elected president of Venezuela.” I was forcibly taken from my home in Caracas and kidnapped. On this, the judge interrupted him and said that he will have appropriate time and space in future to present these arguments. Maduro appeared quite aggressive and vocal during this dramatic hearing that lasted for about 40 minutes. He presented himself as a prisoner of war. At the same time, several injury marks were seen on the face of his wife Celia Flores, about which his lawyer claimed that she was mistreated and injured during ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’ conducted by the US Army on January 3. Maduro’s lawyer has not yet made any demand for bail from the court.
There came a time during the hearing when a person sitting in the audience shouted at Maduro, saying that he would have to pay the price for his actions. Maduro was not deterred by this and turned towards him and reiterated that he was a kidnapped head of state. Throughout the proceedings, Maduro kept taking notes on a yellow legal pad and also asked the judge for permission to keep those notes with him. After hearing the arguments from both the sides, the court has fixed March 17 for the next hearing of the case. After the hearing ended, Maduro and his wife were sent back to jail under heavy security. The eyes of the international world are now focused on this case, because this is the first time that a top leader of a country has been directly brought to the dock in an American court after such a military operation. This matter remains extremely sensitive not only from the legal but also from the diplomatic point of view.
