Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—US federal judge Alvin Hellerstein denied on Thursday, October 8, a request for medical bail submitted by Venezuela’s First Lady and National Assembly Deputy Cilia Flores keeping her imprisoned in New York despite her defense’s warnings about her deteriorating cardiac condition. Flores and President Nicolás Maduro have been held in the United States since US troops kidnapped them during the January 3 military attack on Venezuela.
Flores attended the hearing at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Her lawyers argued that she posed no flight risk under the stringent conditions they proposed. According to Inner City Press, which covered the proceedings, Hellerstein rejected the application but left open the possibility of reconsideration if she agrees to undergo cardiac catheterization. Diario VEA reported that his written decision is expected on Tuesday, October 13.
The medical release request
The application, filed on September 9 and previously reported by Orinoco Tribune, sought permission for Flores to await trial in a private New York residence under strict house arrest. The proposed safeguards included GPS tracking, continuous video monitoring, round-the-clock armed guards, surrender of her travel documents, restrictions on visitors, and unannounced searches. Her attorneys argued that these conditions would ensure her court appearances while allowing her to receive cardiac treatment and recover outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The defense described a worsening heart condition, recurrent chest pain, dizziness, breathing difficulties, and substantial weight loss. Doctors recommended cardiac catheterization to investigate possible coronary artery disease and determine whether additional intervention would be needed. Her lawyers’ concern centers on undergoing the procedure and recovering while imprisoned, where stress and violence between inmates could place her at further risk. The request therefore sought a controlled setting for treatment and recovery while the case proceeds.
The Venezuelan government headed by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez is paying for the presidential couple’s legal defense with Venezuelan public funds, according to mainstream media reporting on the court filings.
US prosecutors opposed release, alleging a flight risk. Hellerstein maintained that Flores could receive cardiac treatment without being granted bail and referred to his own experience with catheterization when discussing the procedure. His decision keeps her in the custody of the state responsible for her kidnapping.
Health deterioration after the kidnapping
As Orinoco Tribune reported in September, Flores’s lawyers linked her declining health to the January 3 assault and subsequent imprisonment. Before the attack, they said, her mitral valve prolapse had been controlled with a monthly injection. During the kidnapping, she suffered a forehead injury requiring approximately 20 stitches.
The defense subsequently reported a 33-beat episode of ventricular tachycardia, severe chest pressure lasting approximately 30 minutes, the loss of two molars, and a weight reduction exceeding 25 pounds, or about 11 kilograms. These details, also reported by mainstream media from the legal filings, describe a marked deterioration since her abduction.
The defense described detention conditions that aggravate her illness: after three months in solitary confinement, Flores was transferred to a shared unit housing more than 40 women. She reported sleeping only three or four hours a night. On August 14, a fight prompted guards to use pepper spray, after which she experienced chest tightness and needed her inhaler. Her lawyers argued that this crowded, stressful environment is unsuitable for preparing for and recovering from a cardiac procedure.
Separately, US prosecutors unveiled additional charges against the presidential couple on Thursday, alleging conspiracy to commit torture. These remain prosecution allegations, not judicial findings. Both have pleaded not guilty in the existing case, with trial scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027.
Analysts interpret the US prosecutors’ decision to add new charges as a sign of weakness in the case against the Venezuelan leaders. They argue that expanding the indictment does not overcome the defense’s central legal objection: President Maduro’s immunity from prosecution as a sitting head of state.
International and Venezuelan solidarity
Anti-imperialist and antiwar organizations have mobilized around Flores’s medical request while continuing to demand the unconditional release of both kidnapped Venezuelan leaders. CODEPINK denounces the prosecution as politically motivated, linking it to Washington’s attempt to impose regime change and control Venezuela’s oil reserves.
CODEPINK’s medical-release petition urges Hellerstein to authorize home detention and warns against waiting for a potentially fatal cardiac episode. Its broader solidarity statement has support from World BEYOND War, SanctionsKill, the Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition, Alliance for Global Justice, and solidarity organizations in Australia, Canada, and Latin America. The statement also highlights the “Cilia Flores for Peace” International Women’s Brigades formed in Venezuela to organize feminist and anti-imperialist solidarity.
In New York, organizers called a protest and press conference outside the courthouse for 9:30 a.m. on October 8. Participating organizations included Black Alliance for Peace NYC/NJ, CODEPINK NYC, the Venezuela Solidarity Network, the United National Antiwar Coalition, and the All African People’s Revolutionary Party. Inner City Press subsequently reported hearing pro-Maduro demonstrators chanting outside the court.
The Venezuelan “Free Cilia” signature drive supports provisional release and house arrest on humanitarian grounds. Its website displayed more than 10,900 signatures on Thursday, October 8.
That solidarity was also visible during Wednesday’s massive Chavista mobilization in Caracas marking the 14th anniversary of Commander Hugo Chávez’s October 7, 2012, presidential election victory. Speaking to Diario VEA, participant Dulce Azuaje argued that the denial of humanitarian relief formed part of an effort to eliminate the leadership Chávez left behind and destroy the Bolivarian Revolution.
“They are being subjected to a vile trial that makes no sense,” Azuaje said. “There is no evidence, and all the arguments have been fabricated to keep them in prison. There is no justification whatsoever for keeping them there.”
Norma González reaffirmed that Flores and President Maduro had the Venezuelan people’s support and that supporters awaited their return because they considered them innocent.
“Cilia, rise and stand firm, as you always have. The Venezuelan people are here waiting for you,” González said. “To that murderous and corrupt president, Donald Trump, we say that Cilia and Nicolás will return to Venezuela.”
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/JRE
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