Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to appear in New York court

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is scheduled to appear in a New York court on Wednesday for a procedural hearing, marking his third public appearance since his capture by U.S. forces in Caracas earlier this year. Maduro has been detained in a Brooklyn prison since January 3.

He will be brought before a Manhattan court to face charges of drug trafficking alongside his wife, Cilia Flores. Maduro, 63, is accused of four charges, including narcoterrorism, following a significant military operation by the U.S. involving approximately 150 aircraft and ground troops. His wife, 69, faces three charges. Both have denied the allegations against them.

After an initial dispute, the U.S. government has permitted Venezuela to pay for their legal defense, a move initially blocked by sanctions against the country. During his first court appearance in New York shortly after his arrest, Maduro declared himself a "prisoner of war."

In addition to the criminal proceedings, the families of five men allegedly killed in Venezuela have initiated a civil lawsuit against Maduro in early July. They accuse him of ordering their executions as part of a broader pattern of state-sponsored violence. Since Maduro's departure, interim President Delcy Rodriguez has assumed power, governing under pressure from Washington, which claims influence over the oil-rich nation.

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Les menaces, intimidations ou violences visant des élus de la République constituent des atteintes particulièrement graves au fonctionnement démocratiques