Mr. Maduro’s account posted for the first time in many months

“We are still healthy, steadfast, serene and constantly praying. We have received your messages, emails, letters and prayers. Every word of love, gesture of concern, expression of support fills our souls and gives us spiritual strength,” read a post on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s X account on March 28.

The article also expressed “admiration for the solidarity” of the Venezuelan people during difficult times.

It is unclear who posted the article on behalf of Mr. Maduro. AFP sources say that the Venezuelan President and his wife have not had access to the Internet or the press since being in prison in the US.

The two people have been detained in a prison in Brooklyn since early January, after the US military conducted a raid and arrested them at a mansion in Venezuela’s capital Caracas.

A source close to the Venezuelan government told AFP that Mr. Maduro often reads the Bible and is called “President” by some inmates. He is only allowed to communicate by phone with his family and lawyer for a maximum of 15 minutes at a time.

Nicolas Maduro Guerra, Maduro’s son, affirmed that his father is healthy, calm and even exercises in prison.

On March 26, Mr. Maduro and his wife appeared at a hearing in federal court in New York, focusing on arguing about who will pay for the couple’s legal fees. Through their lawyer, the two said they did not have enough personal finances to support themselves.

Lawyers for the Venezuelan President and his wife asked judge Alvin Hellerstein to end the case on the grounds that President Donald Trump’s administration did not allow the Venezuelan government to pay legal fees, violating the defendant’s right to have a defense attorney. However, the judge rejected the motion.

During the first hearing in New York on January 5, Mr. Maduro and his wife faced drug-related charges. Both people declared their innocence, President Maduro also asserted that he was a “prisoner of war”.