The deposed Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, said on his social media this Sunday that he is “firm” while posting photos from the New York prison where he has been held since his capture by U.S. forces. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured in Caracas in a U.S. military operation in January. They are held in a Brooklyn jail accused of drug trafficking and possession of firearms, charges both deny.
Read more The ‘no’ to the EU prevails in the Iceland referendum
“I send these photos as a small gift to all my grandchildren, to the boys and girls, and to all the noble people who love us,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging service. “I want you to know that we are firm, with hearts full of your love,” he added.
In the two photos published, Maduro wears a gray tracksuit while making the peace sign with his hands. He shows significant weight loss since his capture. The photographs, although released this Sunday, date according to the camera’s record to June 25, one day after the deadly double earthquake that left more than 6,500 dead and caused destruction in northern Venezuela.
“We will remain strong, calm, and confident: God is with us. God will provide. Venezuela will be reborn”, he concludes.
The message was published two days after his successor, interim president Delcy Rodríguez, announced a “historic” oil agreement allowing the United States to operate fields in Venezuela.
Rodríguez governs under strong pressure from Washington and claims to have “chosen the path of diplomacy” with the United States because she wants Venezuela to become an “energy power.”
In prison, Maduro has no access to newspapers or the internet, but is allowed to speak by phone with his family and lawyers for approximately 300 minutes per month, with a maximum of 15 minutes per call, according to a source close to the leader.
His son Nicolás Maduro Guerra says he is in good shape and spends his time studying the Bible.
The trial in the United States against Maduro and his wife will begin on June 1, 2027, a federal court in New York announced at the end of July.
Read more Four other Moroccans expelled for injuring three civil guards in Ceuta