Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to federal charges of drug trafficking and weapons possession, just 48 hours after U.S. Army special forces, in violation of Venezuelan sovereignty, forcibly removed them and transferred them to New York for prosecution.

Hundreds of people gathered around the courthouse to show their support for the Bolivarian leader and demand that the current Republican administration halt a war with Venezuela over oil.

The hearing that just concluded marks the beginning of what will likely be months of legal proceedings prior to a possible criminal trial.

The couple’s defense attorneys said their clients are currently seeking bail.

The constitutional president of the South American nation and his partner were kidnapped in what President Donald Trump described as a “full-scale attack on Venezuela and its leader” following an unprecedented campaign of pressure on Caracas in recent months.

The anti-war coalition ANSWER warned that the United States was starting a new war based on lies.

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