(AFP) – Nicolas Maduro walked into a packed New York courtroom Monday with his shoulders back, scanning the public gallery and offering a few Spanish greetings, before declaring: “I am innocent.” The deposed Venezuelan president, wearing a dark shirt over orange prison fatigues, was defiant as he went on to say US forces had kidnapped him and called himself a prisoner of war. “I’m a decent man. I am still president of my country,” Maduro said in the 30-minute hearing in which he pleaded not guilty to drugs and weapons charges.
Lawyers, law enforcement officers, and journalists filled the wood-paneled, blue-carpeted room on the top floor of a Manhattan courthouse. Maduro seemed to understand he had the world’s ears and eyes on him as he used the court to condemn the US military raid on him and his wife in Venezuela. On one occasion, the judge cut him off as Maduro went well beyond a request that he simply confirm his identity for the court.
“I’m here kidnapped since January 3, Saturday. I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela,” the 63-year-old said. “There will be time and place to get into all of this,” Judge Alvin Hellerstein replied. One of the most dramatic moments came at the end of the hearing when Maduro had a heated exchange with a man in the public gallery who shouted that he would pay for his crimes. “I am a prisoner of war,” Maduro responded before being led out of the court. He spoke only in Spanish and listened to the proceedings translated through headphones. His remarks were relayed to the court through an interpreter. Using a pen and paper, Maduro took notes throughout and rarely looked up from his desk.
His wife Cilia Flores, wearing a similar outfit with tied up blonde hair, sat beside Maduro with one of three lawyers in between them. Two US marshals stood behind the pair, but no weapons were on display in the courtroom. That was in stark contrast to the dramatic images that showed heavily-armed police escorting them in an armored vehicle from a Brooklyn jail to court in the morning. Outside, scores of police officers had been patrolling since early morning, and metal barriers served as a perimeter around the building.
Several dozen protesters also gathered to both celebrate and criticize Maduro’s arrest, occasionally arguing with each other as they were separated by law enforcement. One group held Venezuelan flags and signs saying “USA hands off Venezuela” and chanted “Viva viva Maduro.” “We say no to US intervention. It’s not in our benefit,” said Sydney Loving, 31, who traveled from Minneapolis for the demonstration. On the other side of a barrier, people were thrilled to see Maduro in US custody.
“Today is my birthday, and this is the best gift I ever received in my whole lifetime,” said Angel Montero, 36, a Venezuelan living in the US. “I am so happy that this is happening today. I’m happy that everybody is here supporting justice.”
– Ben Turner
© 2024 AFP
