She's lost 2 teeth and 25 pounds. Now Nicolás Maduro's wife says she should get out of jail for a heart procedure.
Cilia Flores, the wife of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, is seeking release from a Brooklyn jail to undergo a cardiac procedure. Prosecutors argue she has created a medical hardship by refusing diagnostic tests while incarcerated.
Why it matters
The case highlights the intersection of high-profile international criminal prosecution and the medical rights of detainees within the US federal system.
Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Venezuela before their capture by the US military. Jesus Vargas/Getty Images Nicolás Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, is experiencing health issues while awaiting trial in jail. The doctors in her Brooklyn jail recommended a diagnostic procedure to address her heart condition. She asked a judge to let her out of jail and allow her to stay in a private home to recover. In a jail in Brooklyn, Cilia Flores — the ousted first lady of Venezuela — has not been feeling well. She has lost two teeth. Her weight has dropped by 25 pounds. Her heart condition has gotten worse, her lawyers say. Now, as she awaits trial on drug-trafficking charges alongside her husband, the toppled Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, attorneys for Flores have asked a federal judge to release her from jail.
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