Russia says it would consider asylum request from Venezuela’s Maduro

Russia would carefully consider a request for asylum from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro if it were submitted, according to Russia’s ambassador to Venezuela, Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov.

When asked whether Moscow would be prepared to grant asylum to Maduro in the event of his release from detention in the United States, he said that if such a request were to be made, it would be carefully reviewed by the Russian side, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Melik-Bagdasarov stressed that Moscow’s position regarding what it describes as Maduro’s “abduction” remains unchanged.

According to him, U.S. armed actions constitute a violation of international law and “common sense.”

He added that the Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, should be released.

Maduro and Flores were detained during a US military operation in Venezuela on the night of January 3.

They were charged with narco-terrorism and looting Venezuela’s national wealth, and were transferred to New York to stand trial.

A second court hearing in the case of Maduro and his wife took place on March 26.

The Venezuelan president appeared in court wearing prison attire, with his legs shackled.

The defence called for the charges against Maduro and Flores in the United States to be dropped, arguing that US authorities were preventing them from paying for legal representation.

In response, Judge Alvin Hellerstein said he did not intend to dismiss the case at the request of the defence.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov