Venezuelan government supporters march in Caracas to demand return of Nicolás Maduro

(8 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Caracas, Venezuela – 7 January 2026
1. Various of government supporters marching
2. Person singing while holding action figure of deposed president Nicolás Maduro as superhero
3. Wide of protesters
4. Close of banner reading (Spanish): “Free Maduro”
5. Wide of protesters
6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Carlos Sánchez Angulo, First Sergeant in the Bolivarian Militia:
"The ambiguity of the court that is prosecuting our president in Manhattan has already fallen to contradiction. They have now dismissed the narco-terrorist charges, which were how they initially labeled him, as a drug trafficker. That was completely false. Now they have linked him to a series of internal accusations for allowing or condoning those illicit activities, which are also false. In other words, due to that ambiguity, the entire trial is vitiated with nullity.”
7. Wide of protesters
8. Edgar Angulo, Caracas resident, waiting to cross road
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Edgar Angulo, Caracas resident:
"Well, what the people are doing, trying to maintain the serenity and balance that one must have in a situation like this, is what I advise my compatriots to do: to truly hold ourselves in rational balance.”
10. Wide of people selling food
11. Woman walking
12. People walking on street
STORYLINE:
Venezuelan government supporters rallied on Wednesday in Caracas, demanding the return of deposed president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

Crowds marched through the streets of the capital, holding flags and banners aloft as they called on the U.S. to release Maduro and Flores and return them to Venezuela.

The protest comes as Venezuela's military held a mass funeral in the Caracas on Wednesday as it began to bury dozens of soldiers slain during the United States' weekend operation to capture Maduro.

At least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the dead-of-night U.S. military operation over the weekend to capture Maduro and spirit him to the United States to face drug charges, according to Venezuela's military.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration on Wednesday seized a pair of sanctioned tankers transporting petroleum and announced plans to relax some sanctions so the U.S. can oversee the sale of Venezuela’s petroleum worldwide.

Trump's administration intends to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following its ouster of Maduro.

Besides the United States enforcing an existing oil embargo, the Energy Department says the “only oil transported in and out of Venezuela” will be through approved channels consistent with U.S. law and national security interests.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...