Protesters both for and against deposed Venezuelan despot Nicolas Maduro convened outside the Manhattan federal courthouse on Wednesday as a hearing took place to decide the date of the former dictator’s narcoterrorism trial.
Some of those gathered on Pearl Street said they opposed the capture and trial of Maduro due to the Trump administration’s use of military force to apprehend him in January.
But Venezuelans who fled Maduro’s government described his capture in starkly different terms: a long-delayed first step toward accountability.
Wendell Oviedo, a Venezuelan LGBTQ+ rights activist living in Queens, fled to New York in 2016 after receiving repeated threats connected to his advocacy work.
“The persecution got very hard,” Oviedo said. “We were in a very, very bad situation, and I had to flee the country without rights, leaving everything behind — my organization, my family, my job, everything.”
Oviedo said the threats intensified while Venezuelan authorities failed to investigate them or provide protection.
Protesters both for and against deposed Venezuelan despot Nicolas Maduro were seen outside the Manhattan federal courthouse.Photo by Jack Bulik
When U.S. forces captured Maduro in January and brought him to New York to face federal charges, Oviedo said he believed there might finally be accountability for abuses committed under his government.
“It was like, finally, something is different,” Oviedo said. “That’s how we see it.”
Maduro’s capture may represent progress toward accountability, Oviedo said, but Venezuelans still face a long road before experiencing meaningful change.
“It’s going to be justice for Maduro,” he said. “But there are still a lot of people who need to be in jail.”
Oviedo remains in contact with his father and other relatives living in Venezuela, although he said frequent power outages have made communication increasingly difficult.
“I can feel his frustration,” Oviedo said. “With his salary, he can buy a bag of rice. That’s it.”
Oviedo said Venezuelans who publicly oppose the government risk being labeled “terrorists” and targeted by authorities.
“He wants to protest, but he sees that if he protests, he could be put in jail,” Oviedo said of his father.
That fear did not disappear with Maduro’s capture, said Niurka Melendez, co-founder and co-director of Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid (VIA).
Melendez said Venezuelans who were forced to leave the country carry the history of Maduro’s government with them and need to witness accountability.
Protesters both for and against deposed Venezuelan despot Nicolas Maduro were seen outside the Manhattan federal courthouse.Photo by Jack Bulik
“It’s baggage that we carry,” Melendez said. “We need to see that — at least to witness that kind of process.”
A conviction would be “a really important step,” she said, but it would not provide a complete solution while Rodriguez’s government remains in power and armed pro-government groups known as colectivos continue to operate.
“They need to face justice, too,” Melendez said. “This is a long road, and we cannot pretend that capturing Maduro is a magic solution.”
Like Oviedo, Melendez said she had been waiting for those in power to be held accountable for years and felt that the international community had neglected Venezuela.
“We are like a child without any kind of family, any kind of parents,” Melendez said. “We are a civil society totally alone.”
Melendez also said American pro-Maduro activists do not speak for Venezuelans who fled the country.
“Have they not learned yet what is happening in my country and prefer to put their ideology over people?” Melendez asked.
As Maduro’s supporters protested outside the courthouse, Melendez stood with other Venezuelan counterprotesters. She held a sign that read, “Los crimenes no pueden quedar impunes,” or, in English, “Crimes cannot go unpunished.”