Maduro was detained by US forces during a military incursion on January 3, which included bombings of Caracas
The deposed president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, stated that he is “fine”, in a message published on Saturday (28) on social media, the first since he was captured and taken to the United States, where he faces trial on drug trafficking charges.
Maduro was detained by US forces during a military incursion on January 3which included bombings of Caracas.
He is in prison with his wife, Cilia Flores, detained in the same operation, in a maximum security prison in Brooklyn.
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro)
“We are well, firm, serene and in permanent prayer,” wrote Maduro just a few days before Holy Week, a date of great importance in Venezuela, a country with a Catholic majority.
“Your communications reach us, your messages, your letters and your prayers,” he added. “Every word of love, every gesture of affection, every expression of support fills our soul and strengthens us spiritually.”
Maduro is isolated in a cell without internet or newspapers, with access to the courtyard for one hour a day. A source close to the Venezuelan told AFP that he is allowed to speak on the phone with his family and lawyers for a maximum of 15 minutes.
It is unclear whether Maduro dictated the message to his team or merely approved the content.. He signs the text with Flores.
The Deposed Ruler, where the judge rejected a defense request to dismiss the charges.
Maduro’s message was published on the social network X and the messaging platform Telegram, where until now there was only a count of the days of “kidnapping”.
His son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, known as “Nicolasito”, said at public events that his father is well, calm and was even exercising in prison.
Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power on an interim basis after Maduro’s fall, did not comment on the messageas well as most of his ministers.
Rodríguez governs under pressure from Donald Trump and promoted a shift in the administration to get closer to Washington. She dismantled, in almost three months, the structure of Maduro’s government.
The president did not mention the trial in New York in her last speeches. On Friday, she asked for prayer for Maduro and Flores in an event with evangelicals, very close to the deposed ruler.
*AFP
