NEW YORK – Photos have appeared for the first time on the social media accounts of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, showing him since his capture by the United States. Maduro has been detained in New York since January. The photos are accompanied by a message in which he says that he and his wife Cilia Flores are "holding strong".
In the two images, Maduro is wearing a grey tracksuit and making a V-sign with both hands. He appears to have lost considerable weight since his arrest. According to the metadata attached to the photos, they were taken on 25 June. They were only made public on Sunday.
AFP has been unable to independently verify whether the photos are authentic. The news agency contacted the prison for confirmation but did not receive an immediate response.
The images are accompanied by a personal message attributed to Maduro. In it, he says he is sending the photos as a gift to his grandchildren and to those who support him. He says that he and his wife remain "strong, calm and full of confidence" and closes with the message that Venezuela will rise again.
No internet access
Notably, AFP reports that Maduro himself has no access to newspapers or the internet. A source close to the former president told the news agency that he is permitted to maintain telephone contact with his family and lawyers.
For this he is reportedly allocated approximately 300 minutes per month. Each individual phone call may last no longer than fifteen minutes. It is therefore unclear who posted the photos and the accompanying message on his social media on Maduro’s behalf.
His son Nicolás Maduro Guerra has previously said that his father is doing well under the circumstances and is spending a great deal of time in prison studying the Bible.
Detained since January
Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were arrested in Caracas in January during a US military operation and subsequently brought to the United States. They are being held in Brooklyn, New York.
US prosecutors accuse both of involvement in drug trafficking and firearms offences, among other charges. Maduro and Flores deny the allegations. Their criminal trial is scheduled for 1 June 2027, according to a federal court in New York.
The images emerged two days after interim president Delcy Rodríguez announced a major oil agreement with the United States. The deal allows American parties to exploit Venezuelan oil fields. Rodríguez says she is choosing to cooperate with Washington because she wants to make Venezuela a major energy producer once again.
