From their prison in the United States, Nicolas Maduro and his wife speak for the first time.

Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, captured in Caracas on January 3 during an American operation, sent their first message to their supporters on Saturday, March 28 since their incarceration.

Imprisoned in a high-security prison in Brooklyn, the deposed Venezuelan presidential couple said they were “well” and felt “strong, serene.”

• Ils n’avaient pas pris la parole publiquement depuis le 3 janvier, jour de la spectaculaire opération américaine les visant à Caracas. Le président déchu vénézuélien Nicolas Maduro et sa femme Cilia Flores, emprisonnés depuis dans une prison de haute sécurité à Brooklyn, aux États-Unis, ont dit, samedi 28 mars, se sentir “forts, sereins” dans leur premier message depuis leur incarcération.
• “Nous allons bien, nous sommes forts, sereins et en prière constante”, ont-ils écrit dans un message relayé par leurs proches sur le compte de Nicolas Maduro, à la veille de la Semaine sainte, une période d’une importance considérable au Venezuela majoritairement catholique. “Nous avons reçu vos communications, vos messages, vos e-mails, vos lettres et vos prières”, peut-on notamment lire. “Chaque mot d’amour, chaque marque d’affection, chaque expression de soutien nous remplit l’âme et nous fortifie spirituellement.”

“We have not spoken publicly since January 3, the day of the American operation targeting them in Caracas. The deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, imprisoned in a high-security prison in Brooklyn, USA, said on Saturday, March 28, that they feel “strong, serene” in their first message since their incarceration.

“We are well, we are strong, serene and in constant prayer”, they wrote in a message relayed by their relatives on Nicolas Maduro’s account, on the eve of Holy Week, a period of considerable importance in predominantly Catholic Venezuela. “We have received your communications, messages, emails, letters and prayers”, one can read in particular. “Every word of love, every mark of affection, every expression of support fills our soul and strengthens us spiritually.”

Ils n’avaient pas pris la parole publiquement depuis le 3 janvier, jour de la spectaculaire opération américaine les visant à Caracas. Le président déchu vénézuélien Nicolas Maduro et sa femme Cilia Flores, emprisonnés depuis dans une prison de haute sécurité à Brooklyn, aux États-Unis, ont dit, samedi 28 mars, se sentir “forts, sereins” dans leur premier message depuis leur incarcération.

pic.twitter.com/wjLitbDU22 — Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 28, 2026

Drastic Detention Conditions

Accused of drug trafficking, the couple briefly appeared in court on Thursday before an American magistrate without speaking. In detention, Nicolas Maduro has no access to newspapers or the Internet but is allowed to speak by phone with his family and lawyers for 15 minutes, according to a source close to the leader.

Nicolas Maduro had not spoken since a first hearing in New York on January 5. Defiant, he had then presented himself as “the President of the Republic of Venezuela” in office, “kidnapped” by the Trump administration, and defining himself since then as a “prisoner of war”. A few weeks ago, his son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, had indicated that his father was doing well. He revealed that the former leader was exercising in prison, where he is allowed an hour of daily walk.