Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has sent a defiant message from the U.S. prison where he is being held alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, while awaiting trial, according to his son.
“We are fine. We are fighters,” Maduro said in a message relayed by his son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra—widely known as “Nicolásito”—to members of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) in Caracas. “Do not pity us,” the 63-year-old former leader reportedly told his lawyers, his son added.
The PSUV released a video featuring Maduro Guerra delivering his father’s message to party officials.
Maduro and Flores were captured by U.S. special forces at their residence in Caracas during a U.S. military operation launched in the early hours of January 3. They were subsequently transferred to the United States and brought before a court in New York, where they face charges related to drug trafficking.
According to the indictment, Maduro is described as the head of a “corrupt and illegal government” that for decades allegedly used state power to protect and promote illicit activities, particularly drug trafficking. Prosecutors claim these activities enriched and consolidated the power of Venezuela’s political and military elite. Maduro is also accused of collaborating with what are described as “terrorist” insurgent movements and drug cartels to facilitate the delivery of tonnes of cocaine into the United States.
Following Maduro’s removal, his former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela.
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