Maduro makes second appearance at New York courthouse

New York, March 27 (IANS) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made his second appearance in a New York court after his forcible seizure by US troops in a military raid in Caracas in early January.

During his first arraignment on January 5, Maduro pleaded not guilty to all US charges against him, including drug trafficking, and told the court that he was "kidnapped" from his Caracas residence and he remains president of Venezuela, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Thursday, Maduro's lawyer continued pushing the judge to throw out the charges in court and argued that the United States is violating Maduro's constitutional rights by blocking Venezuelan government funds from paying for his legal fees.

Though doubting Washington's justification for barring Maduro from using Venezuela's funds to cover his legal defense, the judge denied the dismissal of the case.

On January 3, US military forces launched a large-scale strike against Venezuela and forcibly seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, before transporting them to New York. The US attacks have shocked the international community, triggering a stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide.

The couple has been jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, since their seizure in Caracas.

Protesters gathered outside the courthouse, which was heavily guarded by law enforcement officers, chanting slogans and demanding that Maduro be freed immediately.

"We're here today standing with Nicholas Maduro and Cilia Flores," Jacoe Muldoon, a young protester, told Xinhua. "We think charges should be dismissed and that they should be freed."

Another protester said that the United States had no right to kidnap an elected leader of another country, adding that the Venezuelan people are united to face the challenges.

In Muldoon's eyes, the situation in Venezuela and that in Iran are definitely connected as the United States launched aggressions overseas to seize resources globally.

"More and more countries are standing up against the United States as it tries to maintain its hegemony over the world," he said.

--IANS

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