‘Soy inocente’: Maduro defiant in surreal New York courtroom spectacle | US news
A.At noon on Monday, Nicolás Maduro was whisked away to a Manhattan federal courtroom following his capture in Caracas early Saturday, completing the captured Venezuelan leader’s breathtaking journey from his capital to a U.S. courtroom.
It was a surreal spectacle amid the fallout from a brazen U.S. military operation to capture Maduro that has upended global politics and stunned observers in the United States and abroad.
In midtown Manhattan, the show continued, with Maduro’s larger-than-life personality filling Judge Alvin Hellerstein’s courtroom with a mix of bravado, seriousness, playfulness and defiance.
Maduro, who was not handcuffed but was handcuffed to his ankles, looked forward toward the jury box as he walked toward the court. Before sitting down, Maduro shouted “Happy New Year!” into the public gallery. he said. English.
His wife, Cilia Flores, soon followed, wearing two large band-aids on her face; in the temple and on the forehead. Maduro wore a blue shirt and khaki pants over a neon orange shirt, and Flores’ prison attire reflected a similar color scheme.
Maduro and Flores were present at Donald Trump’s hearings in the narco-terrorism case filed by the justice department. Both wore headphones as they were presented with a live translation of the hearing from English to Spanish. Maduro sometimes looked at the indictment and scribbled on notebook paper at various points.
Hellerstein joked about his short stature and how “modern electronic equipment obscures the judge.” The meetings began in earnest with exchanges of greetings that gave little indication of the enormous importance of the events taking place in the room.
“Good morning, Mr. Maduro,” Hellerstein said. Maduro pointed in response.
As Hellerstein summarized the charges in this indictment, Maduro appeared to shake his head slightly, as if he disagreed with the allegations. Hellerstein asked him to confirm his name, as is routine in these hearings.
Maduro said, “I am Nicolás Maduro Moros” and then made harsh criticisms of his political position, insisting that he was the president of the constitutional republic of Venezuela. “I’m here, I’ve been kidnapped since January 3,” he said. “I was caught in my home”
Hellerstein told Maduro that there would be a time and place for these discussions. He asked again: “Are you Nicolás Maduro Moros?”
“I am Nicolás Maduro Moros,” he said again. Maduro said he had the indictments “for the first time” and that there was no need for them to be read in court because he wanted to do it himself.
Maduro’s standing demeanor can be described as subtly defiant. Maduro sometimes rested his knuckles on the table. For several minutes, Maduro’s hands were clasped as if in prayer, but his index fingers were pointed in Hellerstein’s direction.
He entered a not guilty plea shortly thereafter; soyocent and a No soy culprits. After Maduro sat down, the beleaguered leader’s defense lawyer covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head.
This was a clear warning from his lawyer. Maduro needed to keep his criticisms to himself.
Then Flores arrived. She described herself as the First Lady of Venezuela.
no guiltyhe said, completeocent. “Not guilty, completely innocent.”
Shortly after, Maduro had something else to say in court. “I would like to make a request, Your Honor,” he said.
Maduro did not want anyone to take his notes as he wanted. “Can I have my notes?” The prosecution said it would work with prison officials to make sure he had his notebooks.
Neither Maduro nor his wife has requested bail at this time but has reserved the right to seek pre-trial release at a later date. His and his wife’s lawyers requested medical care for them.
Flores’ attorney said he suffered “multiple” injuries during his “kidnapping,” including a possible rib fracture.
Hellerstein scheduled a conference on the case for March 17. When Maduro stood up to leave, he put a pen in his notebook. A US police officer noticed this and took the pen from him.
Someone in the audience shouted, accusing Maduro of being an illegitimate president. As he emerged from the door into the corridor, Maduro insisted: “I am a kidnapped president, a prisoner of war!”
