On Monday, January 5, 2026, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, captured on Saturday, January 3rd, by the U.S. military, pleaded not guilty to all charges in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) court during their initial court appearance before 92-year-old Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

When the judge asked him to identify himself, Maduro, speaking in Spanish, declared, "I am the President of the Republic of Venezuela, and I have been kidnapped here since Saturday, January 3rd. I was arrested at my home in Caracas, Venezuela..." before being interrupted by Judge Hellerstein, who reminded him, "There will be a time and a place to address all of this."

Maduro claimed he had not seen the indictment before appearing in court and that he was unaware of his rights.

It should be noted that Nicolás Maduro is being defended by the highly reputable, powerful, and respected Barry Pollack (61), a partner at Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler LLP. It's worth recalling that Barry Pollack is the lawyer who defended WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange in his long battle to avoid extradition to the United States. Before a Manhattan court, the lawyer stated that he intends to challenge the "legality of Maduro's military abduction."

Donald Trump's ambitions know no bounds. The American President declared Sunday evening aboard Air Force One that "Cuba is ready to fall" and that without revenue from Venezuelan oil, it will be difficult for Cuba to survive. Trump stated that an operation similar to the one carried out in Venezuela seemed to him "a good idea."

Furthermore, in the wake of the arrest in Caracas and the exfiltration to the US of President Maduro and his wife, Donald Trump reiterated his interest in Greenland and declared that he "needs Greenland from a national security standpoint, asserting that Denmark will not be able to take care of it." "We will take care of Greenland in about two months [...]"

But the American President does not intend to stop there, and other threats loom over Panama, Colombia, Mexico, and Canada.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46568-haiti-usa-maduro-and-his-wife-will-appear-this-monday-before-a-federal-judge.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46566-haiti-flash-trump-justifies-the-operation-against-venezuela-with-a-doctrine-more-than-200-years-old.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46555-haiti-caracas-venezuela-and-haiti-commemorate-the-222nd-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-vertieres.html

SL/ HaitiLibre