U.S. Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Federal District Court in New York has denied a request for house arrest on health grounds for Cilia Flores, wife of the constitutional president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.
Both remain detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following their abduction in Caracas in the early hours of January 3 — during a U.S. attack on Venezuela that violated the South American nation’s sovereignty, according to solidarity groups.
During Thursday’s hearing, the defense for Flores, who is 69-years-old, argued that her health has deteriorated — specifically citing heart problems that have worsened since she has been in custody.
They also warned that conditions at the detention center were hindering her medical recovery, prompting a request for her transfer to house arrest under strict monitoring conditions, including armed security at the proposed residence and an electronic ankle monitor.
Her legal team had previously stated that Flores — who was a Venezuelan legislator at the time of her abduction in Caracas — suffers from “heart palpitations and occasional epigastric pain.”
They added that on July 29, Flores experienced an episode of intense chest pain that subsided without medication; it was also noted that she has lost two molars and more than 25 pounds (just over 11 kilograms).
On September 10, the defense filed a motion for release on bail so that, citing these reasons, she could await the trial—scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027—while at liberty.
However, the court denied the request and ruled that she must remain in prison. Maduro and Flores were formally indicted by a federal grand jury in January on drug-trafficking charges, to which both pleaded not guilty.
However, the legal proceedings continue. On Thursday, the 8th, New York prosecutors filed a new charge against both of them linked to an alleged conspiracy to commit torture.
In this indictment, prosecutors allege that when Maduro assumed the presidency in 2013, he “authorized the use of torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system designed to employ torture, arbitrary detention, and violence as means of repression against the political opposition.”
The U.S. government now seeks to link Maduro and Flores to what it has termed the wrongful detention of more than a dozen U.S. citizens in Venezuelan prisons.
Prosecutors further maintain that Venezuela’s current administration, led by interim president Delcy Rodríguez, has never diplomatically demanded the release of Nicolás Maduro or Cilia Flores. Nor have they demanded immunity to prevent them from standing trial in the United States, officials note.
The issue of immunity will be addressed at an upcoming hearing in the case, scheduled for November 17.
Some experts argue that U.S. courts lack the authority to put the Venezuelan leader on trial; they suggest that the legality of his arrest should be evaluated by an international arbitration tribunal, citing a long-standing extradition treaty between the two countries.
The leader and his wife were abducted during the U.S. military operation that left more than a hundred people dead, including 32 Cubans.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
