A woman who was badly disfigured after Venezuelan military forces allegedly poured boiling water on her during an anti-government protest in Caracas in 2021 made an emotional plea in Manhattan federal court on Monday, urging the judge to keep dictator Nicolás Maduro behind bars for as long as the law allows.
The woman, who said she fled to the United States from Caracas not long after Maduro's forces severely injured her during the protest, stood among dozens of demonstrators outside the courthouse as events unfolded inside. At the same time, Nicolas Maduro was entering a not-guilty plea to narco-terrorism charges, following his dramatic capture by U.S. forces over the weekend.
Face of Evil
"I'm here today asking for his sentence to be as long as possible — the maximum," said the woman, who now works at a community center in New Rochelle, told The New York Post. The victim said her name is Carmen — using only her first name because she still has family in Venezuela and worries they could be put at risk if she speaks out publicly.
Holding up a photo on her phone that shows the severe burns she suffered in the 2021 attack, Carmen said she was "tortured" by Maduro's regime for doing nothing more than exercising her right to free speech.
"It's because of protests. I was not allowed freedom of speech," she added.
Carmen stood her ground against a small group of left-leaning counter-protesters outside the courthouse, who had gathered to criticize Maduro's arrest. "Whatever they think is completely opposite of what Maduro is," she said.
"He's a murderer, a criminal. They wouldn't understand. They'll never understand what it's like to be hungry or go to a hospital and not receive help."
She added, "They can be protesting here and nothing will happen to them. In Venezuela they would be oppressed, shot at."
Maduro Pleads Not Guilty
This came as Maduro pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism charges during his first court appearance in New York, claiming he had been "kidnapped" by the United States. Wearing a prison jumpsuit and headphones in the courtroom, the once-strongman told the judge he was a "decent man" and insisted he had done nothing wrong.
It was his first public statement since U.S. Delta Force troops carried out a dramatic raid Saturday, capturing him from his bedroom inside the presidential palace in Caracas.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, his most trusted confidante, now face sweeping drug-trafficking and weapons charges — offenses that could carry the death penalty if they are convicted.
"I'm innocent. I'm not guilty. I am a decent man," Maduro said, according to court reporters. Maduro is being represented by Barry J. Pollack, a high-profile Washington, D.C.–based attorney best known for his role in helping secure the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Pollack and the rest of Maduro's legal team are expected to challenge the case at its foundation, arguing that the arrest itself was unlawful and that Maduro is shielded from prosecution because he remains a sovereign head of state.
Maduro told the court it was the "very first time" he had laid eyes on the indictment, adding that he would prefer to read it himself.
According to court reporters, he then addressed U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein directly, insisting that he had been "kidnapped" from his home. When Hellerstein asked him to identify himself, Maduro replied that he is the president of Venezuela and said he was "captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela."
The court hearing for Maduro and his wife wrapped up after that, with Hellerstein setting their next appearance for March 17 at 11 a.m. ET. As the session ended, Maduro was seen shaking his lawyer's hand before turning over his handwritten notes to a U.S. marshal and being led out of the courtroom.
The Trump administration has long dismissed Maduro's government as "illegitimate," accusing him of clinging to power through rigged elections — including the most recent vote in 2024. Under Venezuela's constitution, Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez would be next in line to assume the presidency.
For now, Maduro and his wife, Flores, are being held in separate solitary cells at Brooklyn's notorious Metropolitan Detention Center.
