Maduro pleads not guilty in U.S. court

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows people protesting outside a courthouse in New York, the United States, on Jan. 5, 2026. Maduro made his first appearance Monday morning at a New York courthouse after he was seized by U.S. forces in his country. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

NEW YORK, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday pleaded not guilty to all U.S. charges during his first court appearance in New York.

“I am innocent, I am not guilty,” Maduro told the court, adding that he was “kidnapped” at his home in Caracas and that he remains the president of Venezuela, according to media inside the courtroom.

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, said at court that she is completely innocent of the charges brought against her by the United States.

The next hearing on the case against Maduro is scheduled for March 17.

Protesters gathering outside the court were shouting slogans and holding banners of “Free Maduro,” “No War on Venezuela,” and “USA hands off Venezuela.”

“The charges are completely outrageous,” Sydney Loving, one of the protesters told Xinhua. “We’re against any intervention like that on a sovereign nation.”

“To kidnap a president of another country is absolutely crossing red line. It definitely violates international law,” she said.

In the early hours of Saturday, U.S. military forces carried out attacks and bombings in Caracas and other parts of Venezuela and took Maduro and his wife by force, before putting them in custody in New York.

The U.S. attacks have shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide.

On Saturday, people took to the streets across more than 100 U.S. cities, including Washington, Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Miami, protesting against the U.S. military operation on the oil-rich South American nation, demanding the U.S. government to free Maduro. ■

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows an exterior view of a courthouse, where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is brought to, in New York, the United States, on Jan. 5, 2026. Maduro made his first appearance Monday morning at a New York courthouse after he was seized by U.S. forces in his country. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

A vehicle carrying Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro departs a courthouse in New York, the United States, Jan. 5, 2026. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday pleaded not guilty to all U.S. charges during his first court appearance in New York. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

A convoy carrying Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro departs a courthouse in New York, the United States, Jan. 5, 2026. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday pleaded not guilty to all U.S. charges during his first court appearance in New York. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

This photo taken on Jan. 5, 2026 shows people protesting outside a courthouse in New York, the United States. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday pleaded not guilty to all U.S. charges during his first court appearance in New York. (Photo by Zack Zhang/Xinhua)

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