Manifesto for the Release of President Nicolás Maduro and Representative Cilia Flores
Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are innocent. They have committed no crime, neither in Venezuela nor in any other territory. They were abducted by a foreign military force without any declaration of war. Therefore, the kidnappers should be arrested and brought to trial.
It is a glaring truth, openly acknowledged by President Trump: the goal of the kidnapping was always to bring the Bolivarian government to its knees, to hold its president hostage, and to keep him captive in exchange for Venezuelan oil.
The U.S. accusations are simply baseless allegations. Under the presumption of innocence—recognized in the U.S. Constitution itself and in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights—the burden of proof lies with the accuser. It is not Maduro and Flores who must prove their innocence: it is Washington that must prove their guilt, and to date it has not done so, nor will it be able to do so without resorting to fabricating false evidence devoid of any truth.
The organizations, movements, parties, unions, intellectuals, and individuals who sign this manifesto call upon the peoples of the world to demand their release from a totally illegal prison and trial.
No Evidence, No Jurisdiction
On January 3, 2026, U.S. forces illegally entered Venezuela and abducted President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores taking them to the United States, where they remain imprisoned today. There was no extradition request, no agreed-upon legal process, and no authorization from the Security Council: there was a military operation against a sovereign country to capture its sitting president and first lady. Article 2.4 of the United Nations Charter prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of a State, and bringing a person accused of drug trafficking crimes before the courts of any country is not among its exceptions. Nor can a State waive the immunity of another country’s head of state by denying him diplomatic recognition.
The accusation does not stand up to scrutiny. It is based on the narrative of the so-called “Cartel de los Soles,” which the U.S. government itself has acknowledged does not exist. Its name, however, has served for years as an umbrella term for scattered allegations related to drug trafficking, without any proven membership, command structure, or chain of command. This echoes the “war on drugs” of the 1970s, which served only as a cover for intervention in countries throughout the region.
In the case of Congresswoman Cilia Flores, these accusations are even more untenable. The extreme violence with which she has been treated constitutes a case of politically motivated gender-based violence that must be brought to light.
The selective nature of this so-called war on drug trafficking and “narco-states” was made clear when former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández—an ally of Washington—was pardoned by Donald Trump in December 2025, despite having been extradited, tried with evidence and cross-examination, and ultimately convicted by a federal court in New York.
The implications of this case extend far beyond Venezuela. Allowing a foreign state to override the legal jurisdiction of another country and proceed with a trial without a basis in international law is tantamount to enshrining the U.S. judicial system as a global and unlimited jurisdiction.
Therefore, we declare and demand
Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores were abducted through an illegal act of military force; they have been brought before the courts of the very same state that sought to overthrow them for years; and they have been charged on the basis of a political narrative of alleged crimes that has yet to withstand scrutiny.
Consequently, we demand:
- The immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro and Congresswoman Cilia Flores and their safe return to Venezuela.
- The cessation of the judicial proceedings stemming from an arrest that violates the United Nations Charter and the immunity of a sitting head of state.
- Full respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty and an end to military aggression, coercive unilateral sanctions, and regime-change operations.
- The explicit rejection by states and multilateral organizations of the doctrine of unlimited extraterritorial jurisdiction that this case seeks to establish.
- An end to the use of the “war on drugs” as a pretext for attacks and extrajudicial killings across Latin America.
We call on popular movements, unions, political parties, intellectuals, and the peoples of the world to disseminate this manifesto, bring it to their parliaments, universities, and organizations, and demand that their governments break their silence.
Organized by: ALBA Movements and the International Peoples’ Assembly (IPA)
Click here to sign the Manifesto
Signatures:
| 1. Roger Waters, Musician, England |
| 2. Ignacio Ramonet, Journalist, Spain |
| 3. Joao Pedro Stédile, MST, Brazil |
| 4. Magdiel Sánchez Quiroz, Casa Tecmilco, Mexico |
| 5. Fernando Bossi, President of the Emancipation Foundation, Argentina |
| 6. Atilio Borón, University Professor, Argentina |
| 7. Daniel Jadue, Communist Party of Chile, Chile |
| 8. Camille Chalmers, PAPDA, Haiti |
| 9. Geraldina Colotti, Journalist, co-director of Rompiendo Fronteras, an international platform for community and alternative media, Italy |
| 10. Jean Jores Pierre., Economist. Intellectual of the Global South., Haiti |
| 11. Julio Rudman, Journalist and writer, Argentina |
| 12. Wilson Torres Rosario, Puerto Rican historian, Puerto Rico |
| 13. Juan Carlos Guerra Brito, Foundation., Venezuela, |
| 14. Max Agustín Correa Hernandez, President of the National Council of the Cardenista Peasant Central, Mexico |
| 15. Mario Alberto Reyes Cantú, National Coordinator of the Cardenista Peasant Central, Mexico |
| 16. Luca Bagatin, Blogger and writer, founder of the socialist and Garibaldian-republican think tank “Amore e Libertà”, Italy |
| 17. Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Writer, Mexico |
| 18. Paloma Saiz, Brigade for Reading in Freedom, Mexico |
| 19. Blanca Salces, Anti-fascist Cultural League, Mexico |
| 20. Blanca Montoya, Academic (PhD in Philology)., Mexico |
| 21. Héctor Díaz Polanco, Anthropologist, Mexico |
| 22. Felipe Ávila, Historian, Mexico |
| 23. Margarita Vázquez Montaño, Historian, Mexico |
| 24. José Guadalupe Gandarilla, Academic, Mexico |
| 25. Ana Esther Ceceña, Latin American Geopolitical Observatory. Institute of Economic Research, UNAM, Mexico |
| 26. Irene León, Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity REDH, Ecuador |
| 27. Roberto Casella, Secretary of the Italy-Cuba Association, Granma Circle, Italy |
| 28. Marialuisa Giglio, Italy-Cuba Association Granma Circle, Italy |
| 29. Kwesi Pratt, Jnr., Organization: Socialist Movement of Ghana (SMG), Ghana |
| 30. Macarena Goncalves, Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity, Uruguay |
| 31. Nidia Díaz, Historical activist and founder of the FMLN. Dialogue facilitator, negotiator and signatory of peace agreements in El Salvador., El Salvador |
| 32. Matyas Benyik, ATTAC Hungary Association, Hungary |
| 33. Vlad Muresan, Palestine Solidarity Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| 34. Camila Escalante, Journalist, Canada |
| 35. CARMEN LUCIA DINIZ DOS SANTOS, Rio de Janeiro Committee of Solidarity with Cuba and Just Causes, Brazil |
| 36. Gabriel Mendes Martins, Brazil, Brazil |
| 37. Amado Aníbal Arrieta R., Justice People’s Party, Paraguay |
| 38. Manuel Bertoldi, Our America Popular Movement, Argentina |
| 39. Natalia Arcos Salvo, Art curator, Chile |
| 40. Iván Martínez Zazueta, Casa Tecmilco, Mexico |
| 41. Peter Goselin, Peter, United States |
| 42. Nicolás Filipic Masso, Humanist Movement, Argentina |
| 43. Andrés Ruggeri, Argamasa Collective, Argentina |
Organizations
| 1. Movimiento de Izquierda Unida, Dominican Republic |
| 2. Casa Tecmilco, Mexico |
| 3. Tejiendo Luchas, Mexico |
| 4. Proceso de Unidad Popular del Suroccidente Colombiano PUPSOC, Colombia |
| 5. COLAREBO, Venezuela |
| 6. Central Campesina Cardenista, Mexico |
| 7. Movimiento Popular Nuestramérica, Argentina |
| 8. Movimiento Brasil Popular, Brazil |
| 9. Levante Popular da Juventude, Brazil |
| 10. Central Independiente de Obreros Agrícolas y Campesinos “José Dolores López Domínguez”, Mexico |
| 11. Colectivo Nuestra América, Mexico |
| 12. Movimento Pela Soberania Popular na Mineração (MAM), Brazil |
| 13. Red de Intelectuales y Artistas en Defensa de la Humanidad, Capítulo Argentina, Argentina |
| 14. Movimiento Popular La Dignidad , Argentina |
| 15. Barricada TV, Argentina |
| 16. Corriente Nuestra Patria , Argentina |
| 17. Asociación contra la Violencia Institucional, Argentina |
| 18. Potere al Popolo!, Italy |