Nicolas Maduro asks US court to drop charges, citing head-of-state immunity

Nicolas Maduro is asking a US judge to throw out the criminal case against him, arguing that Washington cannot unilaterally strip a foreign head of state of immunity.

In a filing submitted Wednesday to federal judge Alvin Hellerstein in New York, Maduro’s lawyers, Barry Pollack and Anna Estevao, said that “full immunity for heads of state is a fundamental principle of international law.” They argue that the US court has no authority to try the former Venezuelan president.

“

Full immunity for heads of state is a fundamental principle of international law.

The defense also challenges the US position that Maduro held power in Venezuela “illegitimately.” His lawyers say that describing a sitting head of state as illegitimate, based on a unilateral political decision, cannot justify removing his immunity. They called the government’s argument that it could do so “frightening” and “without any foundation.”

“

The frightening idea of the government that it could deprive any sitting head of state of immunity simply by labeling him, unilaterally and politically, illegitimate is without any foundation.

According to the indictment, Maduro, 63, faces four charges in New York, including narco-terrorism. He was captured in Caracas during a US military operation at the beginning of January and later transferred to the United States, where he is being held in a federal facility in Brooklyn.

At his first public appearance after his capture, Maduro accused the United States of having “kidnapped” him and described himself as a “prisoner of war.” His wife, Cilia Flores, 69, has presented similar arguments in separate court documents. The couple were captured together in January.

“

Kidnapped

Hellerstein is scheduled to hear Maduro’s request on Nov. 17. The drug-trafficking trial is set to begin on June 1, 2027, if the case survives the current stage. Maduro reappeared on social media in late August in photographs showing him wearing a gray prison uniform in New York. Prison authorities could not explain how the images were released. Maduro and Flores are held under strict conditions, without newspapers or internet access, but can speak by telephone with f.

“

Prisoner of war