Maduro pleads not guilty in US court

Editor's note: From the snatching of Venezuela's president to renewed talk of annexing Greenland, Washington's recent actions have sent shock waves far beyond the Americas. China Daily traces the widening global backlash as critics warn of eroding international law, revival of power politics and a world edging toward rule by force rather than restraint.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared on Monday at a hearing in federal court in New York for the first time since they were forcibly taken from their residence by US military in the middle of the night on Saturday.

"I was captured," Maduro said in Spanish as translated by a courtroom interpreter before being cut off by the judge. Asked later for his plea to the charges, he stated: "I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country."

The United States carried out what President Donald Trump described as a "large-scale strike", abducting the presidential couple and flying them out of the country. They were subsequently confirmed to have been transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

"I am here kidnapped since Jan 3, Saturday," Maduro said, standing and leaning his tall frame toward a tabletop microphone. "I was captured at my home in Caracas."

Flores likewise pleaded not guilty. The judge ordered both to remain behind bars and set a new hearing date of March 17.

Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, said he expects to contest the legality of his "military abduction".

Large crowds of protesters gathered outside the courthouse, many voicing opposition to the US action against Venezuela. Protest signs read "USA hands off Venezuela", "No US war on Venezuela", and "US hands off Venezuela oil".

Rae Lee, who had been outside the courthouse since 9 am, three hours before Maduro's arraignment, told China Daily that she believes the action constituted an international crime.

Lee said she visited Venezuela last month, describing the country as "really remarkable".

"Here in the US, they are only ever talking about terrible conditions like people are oppressed by their government … (But) they've been building their resilience through the years, and economically they have grown really powerfully, like their housing projects," she said.

"It (the US) desperately wants its oil and its natural resources, so they want to install a puppet regime …These charges, they are just seeing what sticks.

"Fundamentally, (it was) the US going to a sovereign nation and kidnapping their head of state, who has been elected twice democratically, their election much more transparent, accurate and representative than ours."

She denounced the US action as "an international crime", saying, "We have to condemn it."

Driven by 'oil'

Many protesters said they believe the US intervention in Venezuela is driven not by "justice" but by "oil". Among them was Imani Henry, who said he has been to Venezuela and "experienced firsthand the rally there that supports Maduro".

"It's about oil. (As with) Iran, Afghanistan, it's about oil … Steal a sovereign president and declare to run their country, and declare that we are gonna steal oil reserves. It's about people and people's needs, not about stealing the reserves for your own profit," Henry said.

"We have seen this kind of complete and utter disruption of people's sovereignty. Why am I here today? Because I'm tired of Latin America and the Caribbean being completely usurped of our power, our independence by the US government."

Lallan Schoenstein, a protester, said, "Maduro has been a legitimate president of Venezuela elected by the Venezuelan people."

Trump's "all interest" in Venezuela is "stealing the resources, precious metals and oil", he said. "He is stealing a president of a sovereign nation. It is a criminal activity."

Agencies contributed to this story.