BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — He's not recognized as a head of state by the country he'd be visiting. His diplomatic immunity is granted by the United Nations, not an unfriendly American administration that could decide to pick him up on drug-trafficking charges if he sets foot in the United States. Then there’s the $15 million U.S. bounty for information leading to his arrest.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has good reason not to travel to New York for the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders. But this year’s virtual U.N. General Assembly format means he can be heard without having to come to New York — or risk an uprising back home if he left the country.