Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on Sunday posted two photographs on his official social media accounts. In the pictures, he could be seen dressed in a grey sweatshirt and trousers with white shoes, smiling and making peace signs with both hands at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
"A Small Gift of Love and Hope. I send these photos as a small gift to all my grandsons and granddaughters, to the boys and girls, and to all the noble people who love us," the caption of his post read.
The photos posted on Sunday had timestamps of June 25. In another post, he said that he wanted to convey that "we stand firm."
Notably, June 25 is just a day after two earthquakes measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela. The death toll from the quakes had risen to 6,509 by August 25.
Message of hope
"Enjoy this small gift with joy and hope. Cilia and I embrace you forever, with our souls devoted to you and with our faith in God intact," he said in another post.
He concluded his thread by quoting, "As the Apostle Paul says: 'But in all these things we obtain a wide victory, thanks to the one who loved us' (Rom 8:37). We will remain strong, serene, and confident: God is with us. God will provide. Venezuela will be reborn."
Historic oil agreement
Maduro's message came two days after his successor, interim President Delcy Rodriguez, announced a "historic" oil agreement allowing the United States to operate oil fields in Venezuela.
Rodriguez is governing under intense pressure from the US and says she has "chosen the path of diplomacy" with the United States because she wants Venezuela to become an “energy powerhouse.”
Maduro's prison access
Maduro does not have access to newspapers or the internet in prison, but he is allowed to speak by telephone with his family and lawyers for approximately 300 minutes a month, with a maximum of 15 minutes per call, AFP reported, citing sources.
