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Maduro, Calling Himself a ‘Prisoner of War,’ to Appear Thursday in New York Court

Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro is due back in a New York court as his lawyers seek dismissal of the case.

Kyiv Post

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March 26th, 2026

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Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro is due to appear in a New York court on Thursday for the second time since his capture by US forces in a nighttime raid in Caracas, AFP reported.

He has been held with his wife, Cilia Flores, in a Brooklyn jail for nearly three months after the pair were seized in early January. Maduro, 63, has called himself a “prisoner of war” and pleaded not guilty to four charges: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

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At Thursday’s hearing, scheduled for 11:00 a.m. in Manhattan, Maduro is expected to push for dismissal of the case as lawyers continue to dispute how his legal defense will be funded. Venezuela’s government wants to cover the costs, but US sanctions mean Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, needs a US license that has not been granted.

A source close to the Venezuelan government said the incarcerated Maduro reads the Bible and is referred to as “president” by some of his fellow detainees.

He is only allowed to communicate by phone with his family and lawyers for a maximum of 15 minutes per call, the source added. 

“The lawyers told us he is strong. He said we must not be sad,” said his son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, adding his father told him: “We are fine, we are fighters.”

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Rodriguez was a former vice president and long-time insider in Venezuela’s authoritarian and anti-American government, before changing tack as interim president.

At his first US court appearance in January, Maduro struck a defiant tone, identifying himself as Venezuela’s president despite his capture. Venezuela is now led by Delcy Rodriguez, who has moved to ease political repression and reform parts of the country’s energy sector under US pressure.

Security is expected to be tight around the courthouse. The case is being overseen by Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

In his State of the Union address on Feb. 24, Trump called Maduro a “dictator” and described the US operation in Caracas as a “spectacular assault” by Special Forces. “Just weeks ago, on a dark night in Caracas, the brave men and women of our Special Forces conducted a spectacular assault on a heavily fortified military fortress,” Trump said. “Nicolás Maduro is now sitting in a cell in Brooklyn, New York, where he belongs, and he will finally face American justice.”