Thousands of Venezuelans gathered at Plaza Caracas and outside the New York federal court on Wednesday to support President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, as the couple attended their third hearing before the Southern District of New York on the 200th day of their kidnapping.
The popular mobilization brought together social sectors, student groups, cultural activists and pro-Venezuela movements in a show of solidarity with the constitutional President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Organizers of the Caracas rally emphasized that the popular response demonstrates the resilience of the Venezuelan people in the face of an imperial aggression.
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The mobilization included cultural performances, speeches by political leaders and a march through downtown Caracas, reflecting the broad-based nature of the support campaign that has been sustained throughout the 200 days of detention.
During the Caracas concentration, councilman of the Bolivarian Libertador Municipality Edwin Velásquez spoke about the magnitude of the call in support of President Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores. Velásquez referred to the vicissitudes that the people have endured, including their kidnapping during the military aggression of January 3 of this year.
“This is a combative people that grows in the face of difficulties,” Velásquez asserted. He affirmed the innocence of the Venezuelan President and stated that together with his wife, “he is fighting a great battle there in New York.”
Nos encontramos con el corazón abierto, en un abrazo de solidaridad con el presidente, Nicolás Maduro y la primera combatiente, Cilia Flores. En cada mirada, en cada pancarta y en cada mano levantada, late el alma de una Patria que lucha y que, a pesar de las dificultades, jamás… pic.twitter.com/S1nNtEfxOr
— Nicolas Maduro Guerra (@nicmaduroguerra) July 22, 2026
Text reads: “We met with open hearts, in a hug of solidarity with the President Nicolas Maduro and the First Combatant Cilia Flores. In every gaze, in every banner and in every hand raised, the soul of a nation that fights beats and that, despite difficulties, never loses its tenderness and dignity. Only the people save the people, and only love sustains hope!”
Injustice Denounced
Erika Bernal Echeto, organizer of the We are Venezuela Movement (Somos Venezuela, in Spanish) and deputy, described the trial and the charges as an injustice and an international abuse. “The Venezuelan people are waiting for their president, for whom we voted in the last presidential elections,” she stated, calling on citizens to remain active in national production to boost the country’s development after the impact of the double seismic event.
Luis Rojas, representative of the Antonio Monsalve Sierras Collective, argued that the Southern District of New York prosecutor’s office postponed the trial until June 2027 because it lacks conclusive evidence against President Maduro and Flores. “They have no arguments, they want to keep postponing for their own convenience because they know that legally, the president must be here in his homeland,” he expressed.
For her part, Gloria Hermoso, representative of the Cacica Urquía Feminist Women’s Movement, urged that the hearing be conducted in a fair and impartial manner, while describing the United States accusations as an invention to promote interference, intervention and the appropriation of resources. Sarah Guzmán, a member of the same movement, expressed confidence in the judges.
Parallel protests also took place in New York from early morning hours, where a group of demonstrators gathered in front of the Federal Court of the Southern District this Wednesday in support of the Venezuelan President. The twin mobilizations -one in Caracas and one in New York- underscored the international dimension of the case and the polarized reactions it has generated.
Un grupo de manifestantes se concentró frente a la Corte Federal del Distrito Sur de Nueva York este miércoles 22 de julio de 2026, en el marco de la tercera audiencia de seguimiento del proceso penal que enfrentan el presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, y la primera dama,… pic.twitter.com/wWCZ8Donso
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) July 22, 2026
Text reads: “A group of protesters gathered in front of the Federal Court of the Southern District of New York this Wednesday, July 22, as part of the third hearing to follow up on the criminal proceedings facing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores.”
The 200-day mark since the detention of President Maduro and Flores has become a rallying point for the Venezuelan government and its supporters, who characterize the legal proceedings as a politically motivated attack on the country’s sovereignty. The case stems from a U.S. military incursion on January 3, in which the President and fhis wife were taken into custody by foreign forces and subsequently transferred to the United States to face alleged charges related to drug trafficking and organized crime -charges the Venezuelan government has consistently rejected as fabricated.
The next hearing scheduled for November 17 will be crucial in determining the direction of the case, particularly regarding the admissibility of evidence and the viability of the immunity claims presented by the defense team. Supporters remain hopeful that the judicial process will eventually recognize what they consider the illegitimacy of the detention and charges.
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