ALBAWABA- The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting at the request of Colombia, with the backing of Russia and China, to address the U.S. abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Representatives from Russia, China, France, the European Union, Colombia, and other countries sharply condemned the operation, calling it a flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any sovereign state without its consent or Security Council authorization.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed “grave concern” over the legality of the operation and its implications for regional stability, warning that it sets a “dangerous precedent” that undermines international law.
Russia and China demanded Maduro’s immediate release. Brazil and Cuba echoed those calls, with Cuban officials denouncing Washington’s actions as those of a “rogue state.”
China’s representative strongly condemned the operation as unlawful, stressing that no country has the right to act as an international judge, and urged Latin American states to respond collectively, pledging Beijing’s “steadfast support” for Venezuelan sovereignty.
The crisis unfolds against the backdrop of Venezuela’s prolonged political turmoil. Maduro’s 2024 reelection was widely disputed by the opposition, prompting the United States to recognize opposition candidate Edmundo González as the legitimate winner. Separately, U.S. indictments issued in 2020 accused Maduro of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking through the so-called “Cartel of the Suns.”
On January 3, American special forces, supported by air operations, seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence in Caracas and transported them by military aircraft to New York.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, acting as interim president, denounced the operation as an “illegal kidnapping,” while U.S. President Donald Trump warned that further strikes could follow if deemed necessary.
Footage released on Monday showed Maduro’s first public appearance since the operation. One video depicts him wearing a gray sweatshirt and cap, shackled and escorted by numerous DEA agents through a New York corridor marked “DEA NYD Rule of Law.”
Another aerial clip broadcast by NBC News shows his arrival at a secure facility, with his hands and feet bound and officers surrounding the convoy. A third video captures agents leading him through a crowded DEA garage, with casual exchanges audible among personnel.
Maduro later appeared in Manhattan federal court for an initial hearing on U.S. drug trafficking charges, as diplomatic fallout from the operation continues to intensify at the United Nations.
