Live Coverage | Maduro Appears in Court Again, "Lost 13 Kilograms," Remains Silent Throughout

Xinhua News Agency, New York, March 26 (Xinhua) — On-site coverage｜Maduro appears in court again — “Lost 13 kilograms” without speaking throughout

Xinhua News Agency reporters Liu Yanan and Shi Chun

Venezuelan President Maduro, who has been forcibly controlled by the United States, appeared in court again on March 26 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Xinhua News Agency reporters at the scene observed that Maduro and his wife did not make any public statements throughout the process, but sat in the defendant’s dock, listening, taking notes, and communicating with their lawyers.

In addition to the courtroom, there were three other rooms where reporters and other personnel could watch the hearing via internal closed-circuit television. The reporter entered the courthouse at around 8:30 a.m. local time, after undergoing strict security checks and surrendering all electronic devices, and queued in the lobby on the first floor awaiting the proceedings. As the hearing, originally scheduled to start around 11:00 a.m., approached, the reporter was arranged to watch a live feed from fixed cameras in a room on the 14th floor of the building. The screen was very small, and the camera angles were limited.

Although the details could not be seen clearly, the reporter could still tell that Maduro had become significantly thinner. According to media reports, Maduro has lost 13 kilograms since early January.

According to what the reporter learned, Maduro and his wife were taken to the courthouse around 4:00 a.m., and the hearing only began near midday. How to pay the legal fees for the proxy lawyers became the focus of a dispute between the prosecution and Maduro’s defense attorneys. The defense lawyers stated that Maduro lacked the funds to hire legal counsel.

Earlier, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had briefly issued a license allowing proxy lawyers to accept legal fees paid by the Venezuelan government for the defendants, but it was quickly amended to prohibit such payments.

During the hearing, the defense argued that the U.S. government’s decision interfered with the defendants’ rights to hire counsel and to a fair trial under the U.S. Constitution, violating the Sixth Amendment and procedural justice. They further proposed that a reasonable remedy would be for the court to dismiss the case. If the case was not dismissed, the lawyers sought to withdraw.

The prosecution responded that this case involves national security and foreign policy, emphasizing that the Sixth Amendment should be applied flexibly, and therefore the Venezuelan government cannot pay Maduro’s legal fees.

The prosecution did not specify what particular aspects of “national security and foreign policy” considerations they referred to, nor did they propose any remedies other than dismissing the case.

The presiding judge, 92-year-old Alvin Hellerstein, clearly stated that the case would not be dismissed. He also questioned the prosecution’s claims regarding national security and foreign policy, stating that the defendant currently does not pose a threat to U.S. national security.

Given that Maduro remains the president of a country, Hellerstein used the words “unique” and “unusual” multiple times to describe the case, saying he had never encountered such a case before.

If Maduro’s current defense lawyers ultimately choose to withdraw, the U.S. government may appoint counsel for Maduro.

Similar to when Maduro and his wife first appeared in court on January 5, many people gathered outside the courthouse that day demanding their release.

Ahmad, wearing a jacket in the colors of the Venezuelan flag, told reporters that Maduro is still the legitimately elected head of state, and that Maduro and his wife were kidnapped; they should be allowed to return to their country.

Jacob Muldin from Brooklyn, New York, criticized the U.S. government for illegally attacking and kidnapping Maduro, saying that the U.S. wasted a large amount of money on the war, and that the American people have also become victims. “Our tax dollars are wasted, and we are the most affected. Higher prices are faced by us; and those who die for the war are also us.”

U.S. President Trump hinted that Maduro will face more charges. (End)