Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has hired Barry Pollack, the lawyer who secured the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2024.
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.
Barry Pollack is also known for securing the acquittal of former Enron accountant Michael Krautz in 2006 and helping overturn the conviction of Martin Tankleff, who spent 17 years in prison on false charges of murdering his parents.
Maduro has been taken to New York federal court to face drug trafficking charges that could result in life imprisonment. Earlier reports indicated he was moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan after being transported by helicopter for a hearing. David Wikstrom was appointed as Maduro’s lawyer for the case.
On January 3, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States had launched a large-scale strike against Venezuela, claiming that Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, were captured and taken from Venezuelan territory.
Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, stated on January 5 that Russia is urging the United States to immediately release Maduro and his wife. He emphasized that any disputes between the U.S. and Venezuela should be resolved through negotiations.
