Yankee imperialism wounded Simón Bolívar’s Patria Grande when, in a cowardly manner, in the early hours of January 3, 2026, invaded Caracas, bombed the capital, killed civilians and military personnel, and kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, violently dragging them away, violating every norm of international law and transferring them to the bowels of the monster. Hours later, the enemies of humanity already had in their hands files with prefabricated criminal charges against the Venezuelan head of state and the first lady, constructed unilaterally, with a familiar pattern of decay, when Washington decides to act outside international law.
The gringos do not recognize the jurisdiction of the Criminal Court, have never agreed to submit to it, and yet assume the functions of that court: they accuse, judge, and invent charges against heads of state and former presidents who do not bow to their designs. They demand their extradition through diplomatic channels, and when that does not work, they invade that country and illegally kidnap them, turning their internal judicial system into a global mechanism.
Maduro and Flores were transported by helicopter to the Southern District Court of New York under police and military custody, with a head of state and a first lady being chained and handcuffed, in a flagrant violation of all norms of international law. At the initial hearing, the Venezuelan president appeared without handcuffs and responded directly when the judge asked him how he pleaded.
Maduro stated verbatim that he pleaded not guilty, that he did not recognize the jurisdiction of that court, and that he considered himself a prisoner of war. He added that he was captured at his home in Caracas during a foreign military operation and that he remained the constitutional president of Venezuela. At the same hearing, the courageous first combatant Silvia Flores also pleaded not guilty and requested immediate medical attention.
Her lawyer informed the court that she had visible injuries, possible rib fractures, and severe bruising as a result of the blows she received when she was forcibly removed during the criminal operation, which left more than 100 Venezuelan civilians and 32 Cuban soldiers guarding the Bolivarian leader dead. The defense demanded a complete medical evaluation in accordance with international treaties that require the humane treatment of persons detained in contexts of armed conflict.
President Maduro’s defense was entrusted to Barry Pollack, a prestigious criminal lawyer with more than three decades of experience in complex cases and internationally recognized for having represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Pollack was instrumental in the process that led to Assange’s release after years of imperialist judicial persecution, a precedent that reinforces the political nature of the cases he takes on and places the case against Maduro under inevitable international scrutiny. The judge assigned to the case is 92-year-old Alvin K. Hellerstein, appointed during Bill Clinton’s presidency. He is now senile, and his prolonged tenure in the US judicial system has been pointed out by renowned lawyers within the judicial system itself, who have accused him of lacking impartiality in a context where the trial against a head of state captured through military action is flawed from the outset.
While the hearing was taking place in New York, international condemnation multiplied, for example, in the United Nations Security Council, where representatives from Russia and China described the operation as an armed aggression and demanded the immediate release of the Venezuelan president and his wife. It was denounced that the United States intends to set itself up as the supreme judge of the planet, with the right to invade countries and carry out punishments outside of any international norms and the sovereignty of states.
In the same context, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his deep concern about the escalation of violence, recalled the obligation to respect the United Nations Charter, and called for the preservation of international peace and non-interference in the internal affairs of countries. In Latin America, Mexico condemned the aggression, while Nicaragua did so on the very day of the events, denouncing the kidnapping of the Venezuelan head of state and demanding his immediate release. In other regions of the world, countries such as Turkey, through its president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, expressed their rejection of the military operation and defended respect for the sovereignty of states.
Internally, Venezuela activated constitutional mechanisms to guarantee the continuity of the state. The National Assembly swore in Delcy Rodríguez as acting president, while the government formally denounced the military aggression and systematic violation of international humanitarian law before international organizations. The country presented evidence of the bombing, civilian casualties, and the kidnapping of its president and first lady.
Long live the constitutional president of Venezuela, comrade Nicolás Maduro!
Long live the first combatant, Cilia Flores!
The peoples are determined to be and to live in freedom!
