United States: from their place of detention, Nicolas Maduro and his wife say they are strong and serene

Since their capture by the American army in Caracas, the couple has been incarcerated in Brooklyn and charged with drug trafficking.

The ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, captured in Caracas on January 3 in a spectacular American operation, said on Saturday that they feel “strong and serene” in their first message since their incarceration.

“We are fine, we are strong, serene, and in constant prayer,” they wrote in a message relayed by their relatives the day before Holy Week, a period of great importance in this predominantly Catholic country. “We have received your communications, messages, emails, letters, and prayers,” they added. “Every word of love, every sign of affection, every expression of support fills our souls and spiritually strengthens us.”

Former strongman of Venezuela and his wife were arrested in an overnight American operation at their palace in Caracas. They have since been incarcerated in a high-security prison in the Brooklyn neighborhood of New York. Facing drug trafficking charges, the couple briefly appeared in a U.S. federal court on Thursday, 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 publicly since an initial hearing in New York on January 5. Defiant, he then presented himself as “the president of the Republic of Venezuela” in office, “kidnapped” by the United States, and henceforth defining himself as a “prisoner of war.” Since then, his son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, had indicated that his father was doing well and exercising in prison, where he is entitled to one hour of outdoor time daily.