Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges brought by the United States during his first court appearance in New York on Monday, telling the courtroom that he was innocent and had been kidnapped, AP reported.
“I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country,” he told the court.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were abducted by the US military in an overnight operation on Saturday.
They appeared before US District Judge Alvin K Hellerstein on Monday for an arraignment on charges including alleged “narcoterrorism”, Al Jazeera reported.
Flores also pleaded not guilty during the proceeding. Neither Nicolás Maduro nor Flores sought bail or release.
The judge scheduled Maduro’s next court hearing for March 17.
Meanwhile, in Caracas, Nicolás Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, told the National Assembly of Venezuela that his father had been “kidnapped” by the United States and called for “international solidarity” to secure his return, CNN reported.
Speaking during the installation session of the Assembly, held two days after the capture, Nicolás Maduro Guerra said that the US’ operation violated Venezuela’s sovereignty and warned that it could happen in another country.
“If we normalise the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe,” CNN quoted Nicolás Maduro Guerra as saying. “This is not a regional problem, it is a direct threat to global stability, to humanity and to the sovereign equality of nations.”
The US has accused Maduro of narco terrorism and drug trafficking, among other crimes – allegations that the Venezuelan government rejects.
Caracas has described the US government’s actions as “military aggression” and has demanded that Maduro and Flores be immediately released.
However, on Sunday, Venezuela vice president Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro ally who has been appointed acting president, offered “to collaborate” with Washington. In a message on social media, Rodríguez said that she hoped to build “respectful relations” with US President Donald Trump.
Since late August, the US has put together a major military deployment off the Venezuelan coast with the stated goal of combating drug trafficking in Latin America, though it has focused on Venezuela.
The US is among the countries in the West that do not recognise the Maduro government in Venezuela. Washington has long backed the Venezuelan Opposition.
Also Read: What the US invasion of Venezuela reveals about international law
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