{"id":8914,"date":"2026-01-05T18:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/01\/05\/maduro-enters-not-guilty-plea-in-new-york-city-court-live-updates-cnn\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T18:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:14:18","slug":"maduro-enters-not-guilty-plea-in-new-york-city-court-live-updates-cnn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/01\/05\/maduro-enters-not-guilty-plea-in-new-york-city-court-live-updates-cnn\/","title":{"rendered":"Maduro enters not guilty plea in New York City court: Live updates – CNN"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Protesters gathered worldwide to denounce the US military intervention in Venezuela that removed Nicol\u00e1s Maduro from power.<\/p>\n

” data-duration=”00:55″ data-source-html=” \u2022 Source: CNN<\/a> <\/span>” data-fave-thumbnails=”{“big”: { “uri”: “https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/116141-venezuelaprotestsclean-00-00-50-23-still002.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” }, “small”: { “uri”: “https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/116141-venezuelaprotestsclean-00-00-50-23-still002.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” } }” data-vr-video=”false” data-show-html=”” data-byline-html=”<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
By Ileya Robinson-Williams<\/span>, CNN <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

” data-timestamp-html=”<\/p>\n

Updated 1:04 PM EST, Mon January 5, 2026 <\/div>\n

” data-check-event-based-preview data-is-vertical-video-embed=”false” data-network-id data-publish-date=”2026-01-04T23:49:35.896Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/01\/04\/politics\/video\/venezuela-protests-worldwide-digvid” data-branding-key data-video-slug=”venezuela-protests-worldwide-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”venezuela-protests-worldwide-digvid” data-video-tags data-breakpoints=”{“video-resource–media-extra-large”: 660}” data-display-video-cover=”true” data-details data-track-zone=”top” data-sticky-anchor-pos=”bottom” data-tabcontent=”Content”> <\/p>\n

Protesters gathered worldwide to denounce the US military intervention in Venezuela that removed Nicol\u00e1s Maduro from power.<\/p>\n

” data-check-event-based-preview data-network-id data-publish-date=”2026-01-04T23:49:35.896Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/01\/04\/politics\/video\/venezuela-protests-worldwide-digvid” data-branding-key data-video-slug=”venezuela-protests-worldwide-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”venezuela-protests-worldwide-digvid” data-video-tags> \"116141_VenezuelaProtestsCLEAN.00_00_50_23.Still002.jpg\"<\/picture> <\/div>\n

\n

Protests erupt worldwide against US operation in Venezuela <\/p>\n

00:55 <\/span> \u2022 Source: CNN<\/a> <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Protests erupt worldwide against US operation in Venezuela<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

00:55 <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

\u2022 Maduro in court: <\/strong>A defiant <\/strong>Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores entered not guilty pleas in their first court appearance in New York after being captured in a US military operation<\/a>. The ousted leader, who faces drugs and weapons charges<\/a>, told the judge he\u2019s \u201cstill the president of Venezuela.\u201d The couple is not seeking bail for now. Sigue nuestra <\/em>cobertura en espa\u00f1ol<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n

\u2022 Venezuela\u2019s uncertain future: <\/strong>President Donald Trump said the US, which has not recognized Maduro as the country\u2019s legitimate leader, is \u201cin charge,\u201d as acting president Delcy Rodr\u00edguez<\/a> called for \u201ccooperation\u201d with the US<\/a>. Trump previously said he\u2019s counting on American companies to rebuild Venezuela\u2019s battered oil industry<\/a>. Meanwhile, Venezuelans are hunkering down<\/strong><\/a> amid apprehension of what may come next.<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n

\u2022 Trump\u2019s threats: <\/strong>Trump implied he could take military action in Colombia<\/strong><\/a>, told Mexico to get its \u201cact together\u201d on drugs, and said the US \u201cneeds Greenland.\u201d<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"This<\/picture> <\/div>\n

Nicol\u00e1s Maduro Guerra, son of ousted Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, said Monday that his father was \u201ckidnapped\u201d by the United States and called for \u201cinternational solidarity\u201d with him so he can return to the South American country. <\/p>\n

Maduro Guerra made these statements during the installation session of the National Assembly of Venezuela, held two days after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a US military operation in Caracas. During his speech, Maduro Guerra said the operation violated Venezuela\u2019s sovereignty and warned that it could happen in another country. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople of the world, I say to you: international solidarity with Nicol\u00e1s, with Cilia, with Venezuela, is not an optional political gesture, it is an ethical and legal duty. Silence in the face of these violations implicates those who remain silent and weakens the international system that everyone claims to defend,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Maduro Guerra also referred to being included in the latest US indictment <\/a>against his father, Flores and others, who are accused of drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Maduro Guerra rejected the charges. \u201cMy family and I are being persecuted,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Law<\/picture> <\/div>\n

Cilia Flores sustained \u201csignificant injuries\u201d this weekend when she was captured in Venezuela during a US military operation, her lawyer told the federal judge overseeing her criminal case. <\/p>\n

Her attorney, Mark Donnelly, told senior US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein his client sustained \u201csignificant injuries during her abduction\u201d this weekend and suggested she may have a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs and would need a physical evaluation. <\/p>\n

The comments came just after Flores and her husband, the ousted Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, pleaded not guilty to a series of federal charges at a New York courthouse Monday afternoon. <\/p>\n

CNN reporters at the courthouse saw bandages on Flores\u2019 head during the proceeding. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Before even getting to the evidence of the charges against Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, his lawyers are likely to argue that he is not legally in custody in the first place, CNN\u2019s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said. <\/p>\n

The first thing Maduro\u2019s legal team will do will be to \u201cattack the arrest and the legitimacy of his custody,\u201d Miller said. In court today, Maduro\u2019s lawyer, Barry Pollack, told the judge that there are issues with the legalities of his client\u2019s military abduction. <\/p>\n

Maduro himself also said in court that he was captured at his home and insisted that he is the president of Venezuela \u2014 another point his legal team will likely argue early on in the process, Miller said. <\/p>\n

Pollack told the judge that Maduro is the head of a sovereign state and is entitled to the privilege and immunity of that office. However, that is disputed, with the United States not recognizing Maduro or his regime as the legitimate government after several disputed elections<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s first court appearance in New York today has had a \u201cshow aspect\u201d to it, CNN Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez said on air. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey paraded him in front of cameras,\u201d Perez said while outside the court on Monday. \u201cThis is very unusual in federal court here in the federal system.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cUsually, you don\u2019t have mugshots of people released because of the danger that (it) poses for their ability to present their defense, innocent until proven guilty,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

Perez noted that as the president of another country, Maduro is used to calling the shots himself. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s used to running things himself, he\u2019s used to being able to issue orders and decide how things (are) going,\u201d Perez said. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Within minutes of his first federal court appearance, Venezuelan president Nicol\u00e1s Maduro stood before a judge and said, \u201cI was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.\u201d <\/p>\n

The statement previews what is likely to be one of the main defenses: that his dead of night arrest in a foreign country by US law enforcement \u2013 a \u201cmilitary abduction,\u201d in his attorney\u2019s words \u2013 violated the law. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the first time that a defendant has made this argument. Over three decades ago, Panama\u2019s Manuel Noriega<\/a> accused the US of violating both international law and due process protections by invading Panama and arresting him abroad. <\/p>\n

But that argument was unsuccessful, as the courts refused to consider the legality of the Panama invasion itself and only focused on the allegations in Noriega\u2019s indictment. Whether courts will reconsider that precedent in Maduro\u2019s case remains to be seen. <\/p>\n

It is unusual to for a criminal defendant to say anything to a judge during an initial appearance, as defense attorneys typically warn their clients that anything they say could be used in their prosecution. <\/p>\n

Judge Alvin Hellerstein made a similar warning to Maduro on Monday as the Venezuelan president spoke. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be a time and a place to go into all of this,\u201d the judge said. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Venezuela's<\/picture> <\/div>\n

Jorge Rodr\u00edguez, the brother of Venezuela\u2019s acting President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, has been re-appointed President of the National Assembly. <\/p>\n

Lawmakers reelected him to lead parliament on Monday with overwhelming support. <\/p>\n

This puts the Rodriguez siblings in control of Venezuela\u2019s executive and legislative branches. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro is speaking using a translator during his first court appearance in New York today \u2014 something that could make it more difficult for the judge to limit the scope of Maduro\u2019s answers. <\/p>\n

CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said the former Venezuelan leader \u201cseems to be answering a little bit more than the judge is asking for.\u201d <\/p>\n

For example, when entering a plea, Maduro said, \u201cI am innocent, I am not guilty.\u201d He also added that he was \u201ca decent man.\u201d When he was asked by the judge to confirm his name, Maduro said he was the president of Venezuela and said he was captured at his home. <\/p>\n

When answers and responses are going through a translator, \u201cit\u2019s harder for a judge to control the proceedings, because if someone\u2019s speaking in English, the judge can just cut them off if he\u2019s saying too much,\u201d Honig said. <\/p>\n

In this case, the judge has to wait for everything to be translated. \u201cSo we\u2019ll see to what extent Maduro is disciplined and stays within the parameters of the court,\u201d Honig added. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"People<\/picture> <\/div>\n

Crowds of people have been gathering near the New York courthouse where ousted Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro is currently appearing. <\/p>\n

Two groups divided into opposite pens were on scene to demonstrate, some cheering on his capture and others protesting against it. <\/p>\n

People waving Venezuelan flags were seen shouting chants including: \u201cWho are we? Venezuela! What do we want? Libertad!\u201d <\/p>\n

One person was seen waving a large flagpole with a Venezuelan flag, as well as a flag that said \u201cTrump for king.\u201d Another person held a sign reading, \u201cFree our political prisoners in Venezuela.\u201d <\/p>\n

Others were seen holding banners reading, \u201cFree President Maduro.\u201d They were also waving Venezuelan flags. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro is making his first court appearance in New York after his capture following a US operation<\/a> on Saturday. He is facing drug and weapons charges. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we can expect from today\u2019s hearing, according to CNN\u2019s senior legal analyst Elie Honig. <\/p>\n

\n