NEW YORK, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made his second appearance Thursday morning in a New York court after his forcible seizure by U.S. troops in a military raid in Caracas in early January.
Protesters gathered outside the court, which was heavily guarded by law enforcement officers, shouting slogans and demanding that Maduro be freed immediately.
During his first arraignment on Jan. 5, Maduro pleaded not guilty to all U.S. charges against him, including drug trafficking, and told the court that he was "kidnapped" at his Caracas residence and that he remains the president of Venezuela.
Maduro's lawyer is expected to continue pushing the judge to throw out the charges and argue that the United States is violating his constitutional rights by blocking Venezuelan government funds from paying for his legal costs.
On Jan. 3, U.S. military forces launched a large-scale strike against Venezuela and forcibly seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, before transporting them to New York. The U.S. attacks have shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide.
The couple has been jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, since their seizure in Caracas. ■
