Maduro hired a lawyer to secure Assange's release

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has hired lawyer Barry Pollack, who secured the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2024. This is reported by the Associated Press (AP).

"Pollack, a partner at the law firm Harris, St. Laurent & Wechsler, entered into a 2024 plea agreement allowing Assange to be released immediately after pleading guilty to espionage charges," AP reports.

Barry Pollack is also known for securing the acquittal of former Enron accountant Michael Krautz in 2006. He also helped overturn the conviction of Martin Tankleff, who spent 17 years in prison on false charges of murdering his parents.

Trial is coming: Maduro could face life in prison in New York

The United States has already sentenced a foreign leader for drug trafficking

Earlier in the day, Maduro was taken to New York federal Court to face charges. Prior to that, it was reported that the Venezuelan president was being taken away from the colony in Brooklyn. The politician was taken to a helicopter pad in Manhattan, from where he was moved to the first hearing in the drug trafficking case. Later it became known that David Wikstrom became Maduro's appointed lawyer.

On January 3, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States had successfully launched a large-scale strike against Venezuela. He noted that the President of the republic, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Celia Flores, were captured and taken away from the territory of the state.

Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, said on January 5 that Russia was calling on the United States to immediately release Maduro and his wife. According to him, any contradictions between the United States and Venezuela should be resolved through negotiations.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.