Venezuela demands immediate release of Maduro from US custody

Venezuela’s foreign minister describes President Nicolas Maduro’s abduction as a ‘political operation’ and notes that the country must resolve its own matters.Published On 23 Feb 2026Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil has demanded the immediate release of the country’s President Nicolas Maduro, who was abducted last month in a violent raid orchestrated by the United States.Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Gil demanded Maduro’s “immediate release” by the US government, alongside his wife, Cilia Flores.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4A fragile freedom for Venezuela’s released political prisonerslist 2 of 4Brazil’s Lula says Maduro should face trial in Venezuela, not USlist 3 of 4Venezuela grants amnesty to 379 political prisonerslist 4 of 4Venezuela receives more than 1,500 amnesty requests under new lawend of listMaduro and Flores have been in prison in New York since the January 3 operation, awaiting trial on drug trafficking and so-called conspiracy to commit “narcoterrorism” charges. Despite the whirlwind operation, relative calm has prevailed in Venezuela since, while faultlines in the country’s leadership remain active under the helm of interim President Delcy Rodriguez.Rodriguez has shifted from early defiance to a more conciliatory tone towards the administration of US President Donald Trump, in contrast to Gil, who has levelled harsher condemnations of US actions.Gil on Monday, addressing the UN council, said the US operation, which he called a “systematic campaign”, resulted in more than 100 deaths. He described Maduro’s abduction as a “political operation disguised as a legal debate”.Despite these events of early January, however, the foreign minister stated that Venezuela is not in a state of war with the country that he said has been attacking it for the past decade, noting the US blockade and sanctions imposed on Venezuela for years in “full view of the world”.Last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) described Venezuela’s economic and humanitarian situation as “quite fragile”, pointing to an estimated triple-digit inflation and a sharply depreciating currency. Sanctions have played a role – but so has government mismanagement.