Venezuela's Maduro pleads not guilty in New York court

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday pleaded not guilty to all U.S. charges during his first court appearance in New York.

"I am innocent, I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro, 63, told the court, adding that he was "kidnapped" at his home in Caracas, according to media inside the courtroom.

Maduro faces four criminal counts: narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

However, Maduro has long denied the allegations, saying they were a mask for imperialist designs on Venezuela's rich oil reserves. Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, said in court that she is completely innocent of the charges brought against her by the United States.

The next hearing on the case against Maduro is scheduled for March 17.

Protests

Protesters gathered outside the court, shouted slogans and held banners reading "Free Maduro," "No War on Venezuela" and "USA hands off Venezuela."

"The charges are completely outrageous," Sydney Loving, one of the protesters, told Xinhua. "We're against any intervention like that on a sovereign nation."

"To kidnap a president of another country is absolutely crossing red line. It definitely violates international law," she said.

In the early hours of Saturday, U.S. military forces carried out attacks and bombings in Caracas and other parts of Venezuela and took Maduro and his wife by force, before putting them in custody in New York.

The U.S. attacks have shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide.

On Saturday, people took to the streets across more than 100 U.S. cities, including Washington, Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Miami, protesting against the U.S. military operation on the oil-rich South American nation, demanding the U.S. government to free Maduro.

Legal challenges

Maduro lawyer Barry Pollack said he anticipated voluminous and complex litigation over what he called his client's "military abduction." He said Maduro was not requesting his release but may later.

Experts in international law have questioned the legality of the raid, with some condemning Trump's actions as a repudiation of a rules-based international order.

International law prohibits the use of force in international relations except for narrow exceptions, such as authorization by the UN Security Council or in self-defense.

Drug trafficking and gang violence are considered criminal activity and do not rise to the accepted international standard of an armed conflict that would justify a military response, according to legal experts.

Mariam Shah, an Islamabad-based independent researcher in the field of conflict studies and military psychology, told CGTN that international law draws a clear distinction between crime and armed conflict.

"If crime becomes a reason for war, then no border remains safe. Any country could justify using force against another by citing terrorism, cybercrime or political extremism. This wouldn't be the enforcement of international law; it would be a form of unilateral action and unwarranted aggression on a sovereign state," said Shah.

(With input from agencies)