Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife, forcibly taken into custody by the U.S., appeared for the first time on June 5 in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, rejecting the so-called "criminal" charges brought by the U.S.
Maduro said: “I was kidnapped from my home in Caracas. I am innocent, I am not guilty. I am still the President of Venezuela.”
Maduro's wife Flores also pleaded not guilty to the U.S. charges.
Her defense attorney informed the court that Flores was injured during the U.S. military raid.
Flores had injuries on her forehead and other parts of her body, bruising next to her right eye, and appeared very weak and unsteady when rising to answer. Maduro himself had difficulty standing up and sitting down several times.
Outside the courthouse, protesters gathered, chanting slogans demanding the release of Maduro and protesting U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. Some held banners reading “Free President Maduro,” “No War on Venezuela,” “Stop the Illegal War Against Venezuela,” and similar messages.
In the early hours of the 3rd, the U.S. launched a large-scale military strike against Venezuela, forcibly taking control of Maduro and his wife and bringing them to the United States. Currently, Maduro is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.