"That president is innocent of everything he is accused of and there is no material evidence that can prove that Nicolas Maduro is guilty of any of the crimes he is accused of," Maduro Guerra said. "Our task here is to resist."

He also called for national unity, saying Venezuelans wanted peace , prosperity and respectful relations with other countries, while urging the return of both Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Maduro Guerra argued that lifting international sanctions was key to the country's economic recovery. "A broad national consensus is that they have to remove the blockade and sanctions so that we can take off as an economic power," he said.

Grassroots leader Gloria Lopez also addressed the rally, describing the legal proceedings against Maduro as a pretext to prolong his detention. She alleged the United States was motivated by Venezuela's oil and gold resources and said sanctions had worsened poverty.

The protest coincided with the third court hearing for Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores in New York , where Judge Alvin Wallerstein proposed 1st June 2027 as the start date for their trial.

"Just as there are differences in the family, there are differences between countries, and the way to resolve them is politics and diplomacy. And I know that diplomacy, I have faith, my heart tells me that, through diplomacy, I will embrace my father and Cilia again," he added in a message published on social media.

The former president and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by US forces on January 3 and put on trial in New York on charges related to drug trafficking.

Maduro Guerra said that during his father's third hearing in a federal court in New York, "we will be able to continue expressing the truth about who Nicolas Maduro Moros is."

"A decent man, a very brave man, an indomitable, irreducible man, whose only act has been to fight for the prosperity and peace of this people ," he said, describing the capture as a "kidnapping."

He also said Venezuela would overcome the "aggressions" and the crisis caused by recent earthquakes , adding that the sadness caused by these events "we have turned it and are turning it into strength to keep moving forward."

At the time of publication, a US judge had set a trial date of June 1, 2027.

Nicolas Maduro faces charges of conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States . Cilia Flores is accused of offences related to drug importation and possession of firearms.

According to the information provided, both were captured by US forces during an operation in Caracas on January 3 that included bombings and left at least 100 people dead and 100 injured.