Categories: International

Maduro Capture: When Justice Trumps Breaking The Law

January 3, 2026: U.S. forces extract Nicolás Maduro from Caracas, ending his tyrannical grip on Venezuela. Legal experts scream “illegal”—a blatant violation of sovereignty, UN Charter Article 2(4), no self-defence justification. They’re right on the letter of international law.

But legality and justice aren’t always allies. History is full of “illegal” acts that delivered moral triumphs by overturning unjust systems. The Maduro takedown—removing a narco-dictator indicted for flooding America with drugs, starving his people, and rigging elections—fits that tradition. It was the right move, even if the law lags behind.

History is rife with examples of immoral laws, at least by today’s standards. Most were dictated by “man’s inhumanity to man” and upheld by the prevailing enforcement officers and legal systems of the time. Let’s take a look at just a few to get the full weight of how “legal” can mean evil until it’s forced to change:

Slavery: Legal in the USA until 1865.
Jim Crow Laws (also segregation): Mandated “separate but equal”, detrimental for Black people—it took three separate Acts to overturn, and over a decade to finalize.
Coverture Laws: Men controlled their wife’s property and rights—state-by-state repeal in the USA took decades.
Anti-Miscegenation Laws: Banned interracial marriage until 1967.
Sodomy Laws: Criminalization of gay sex up to 2003.
Nuremberg Laws: Stripped an entire class of people of citizenship and banned interracial marriage—paved the way for the Holocaust.
Apartheid: Full-on racial segregation, including Population Registration Act, forced removals, Pass laws, and Prohibition of mixed marriage—in place until 1994.
Untouchability/Caste Laws (India): Codified discrimination; abolished by 1950 Constitution.
Sati (Widow Burning, India): Legally tolerated until banned in 1829.
Foot Binding (China): Centuries-old practice; outlawed 1912.
Section 377 (British Colonial Sodomy Laws): Criminalized homosexuality across empires; decriminalized in waves (India 2018, etc.).
Australian Stolen Generations Policies: Legal government acts removing Aboriginal children.
Magdalene Laundries (Ireland, until 1996): Enslaved “fallen” women under state/church law.

These weren’t minor citations in law books—they were systemic evils enforced by the highest courts in the lands where they ruled. They stayed “legal” only until moral outrage, progressive pressure, humanitarian demands, or outright conflict smashed them down.

Sovereignty norms shielding tyrants like Maduro are the modern version: rules that protect the powerful while the powerless suffer.

Taking Maduro out may have been an illegal action according to US Congress and the international courts, but you damn betchya it was just as well as justified. A great many citizens of Venezuela both in-country and abroad will gleefully and gladly say this and explain to you why. Despite this, Leftists—Democrats, Liberals, Socialists and Communists—decry this action with many saying ridiculously that “Trump kidnapped Maduro”. Shit-stirrers (you know the type—the online agitators, media sensationalists, and ideological warriors who thrive on outrage, division, and twisting facts for clicks or clout) and those who swallow their spin have even called this illegal dictator “A man of the people”. These people are straight-up defending a murdering tyrant.

Maduro was NOT kidnapped. He was arrested on warrants in a military action. He was not the rightful leader of Venezuela. Initially installed (a familiar word in Canada the past year) by Chavez, he narrowly won a disputed election in 2013, then stole re-elections in 2018 and especially 2024, imprisoned and murdered his opposition, and lived like a King while female Venezuelans as young as 12 had to prostitute themselves just for a bit of food! The hatred for Trump is so strong at least in Canada that liberals have been seen and recorded getting into heated clashes with exiled Venezuelans at protests.

American Democrats are up-in-arms over Trump’s apprehension of this dictator without Congress. Where was anyone during the Obama administration’s Operation Odyssey Dawn (2011: bombing Libya) or Operation Neptune Spear (2011: capture and execution of Bin Laden), or the 2014 airstrikes against ISIS, or the airstrikes in 7 countries in 2016—without Congress. Can you say hypocrisy?

Had this gone before Congress first, then the international courts, how quickly do you think it would have gotten back to Maduro that he was about to be targeted? There are just way too many countries willing to do business with this guy to risk anything resembling a leak. And no, this is NOT about Venezuelan oil. Bringing that resource back to full capacity will optimistically take 15 years and billions of dollars in investment to repair decaying infrastructure.

The ends generally do not justify the means. This has been proven time and again throughout history where a proper, favourable, positive outcome in no way excuses nefarious means to bring it about. Generally there are steps to take, avenues to pursue and groups to consult with in order to achieve the correct outcome. Generally.

In this case however, and this time, the means were justified by what they achieved. Until you talk to actual Venezuelans about what the Trump administration did to the benefit of Venezuela and its people, I suggest you STFU.