Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has called for former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to face trial in his home country rather than in the United States.

Getting into it: During an interview with an Indian broadcaster, Lula made clear that while accountability may be necessary, it must respect national sovereignty. “I believe that if Maduro has to be trialled, he has to be trialled in his country, not trialled abroad.” Lula added that the international community cannot accept a world in which “a head of state of one country could invade another country and capture the president.”

This all comes as Maduro is currently being held in New York after being captured in Caracas by US forces in a military operation ordered by President Trump. He has pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts, including narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons-related offenses. US prosecutors allege he oversaw a cocaine-trafficking network working with international drug cartels to transport narcotics into the United States. Maduro has denied the accusations, saying in court, “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country,” and describing his transfer to the US as a “kidnapping.”

His defense lawyer has indicated that significant legal challenges are expected over what he described as his client’s “military abduction,” raising questions about the legality of the cross-border seizure.

US officials, however, maintain that Maduro was a wanted fugitive charged with “horrible crimes,” insisting the United States had an “absolute legal right” to arrest him and arguing that the action was part of a broader effort to combat international drug trafficking.