Maduro's wife asks to be released from prison: "Her medical condition is deteriorating"

Cilia Flores, the wife of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, appeared in a New York court today and demanded to be released to house arrest due to her deteriorating health, which includes heart problems and a fear of a heart attack. The prosecution opposes the request, citing a risk of flight and danger to the public.

Cilia Flores, the wife of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, appeared in a New York court today (Thursday) and demanded to be released from detention to house arrest. Her lawyers argue that her health is deteriorating, including serious heart problems, a possible need for heart surgery, dizziness, and shortness of breath, and that she may have suffered a mild heart attack in July. According to them, she has lost 25 kilograms and sustained permanent scars during her detention. Flores and Maduro were arrested in early January in a nighttime raid on their home in Caracas, and have since been imprisoned in New York. Both have pleaded not guilty to a criminal case filed against them six years ago, for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States. Their lawyers claim diplomatic immunity based on their official roles. The prosecution opposes the release, arguing that Flores poses an "extreme risk of flight and danger to the public" and that she has received medical treatment at a local hospital when needed. The Trump administration defended the raid as a "surgical law enforcement operation," while Maduro called his arrest a "kidnapping."