Armenian analyst says Maduro 'was very lucky' amid US legal action

An Armenian political analyst has said that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been “very lucky”, arguing that recent developments have spared him a far more violent fate.

Commenting on reports concerning US legal action against the Venezuelan leader and his wife, political analyst Suren Sargsyan said that Maduro could have faced the fate suffered by former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi or Iraq’s Saddam Hussein.

“Instead, he will stand before an American court,” Sargsyan wrote, emphasizing that Maduro will benefit from all the legal protections afforded to defendants in the United States.

Sargsyan noted that the trial will take place in New York, a state that has abolished the death penalty, and that the charges against Maduro are not punishable by death under US law.

He also highlighted that Maduro would retain his fundamental rights, including the right to life and human dignity, and that torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment would be prohibited.

According to Sargsyan, intense public scrutiny will serve as an additional protective mechanism for the Venezuelan leader.

“In this case, no one will call the judge to tell him what verdict to deliver,” he wrote.

Sargsyan further contrasted Maduro’s situation with that of “Armenian prisoners held in Baku”, implying the Venezuelan leader’s relative security under US legal safeguards.

“It remains unclear whether this outcome reflects a political agreement or simply good fortune on Maduro’s part,” he concluded.