Lawyers for the former Green Berets, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, said they were barred from the secretive jailhouse proceedings Friday night in what they consider a violation of their constitutional rights to a defence.

Venezuelan authorities on Monday arrested Denman, U.S. citizen Airan Berry, and 11 others in what Maduro has called a failed plot coordinated with Washington to enter the country via the Caribbean coast and oust him.

The State Department offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of Maduro, whose country has been convulsed by years of a deep economic crisis and political upheaval.

Canada is hosting the gathering of foreign ministers today from the coalition of Western Hemisphere countries who are trying to solve the Venezuela crisis.

Frederico Hoyos, Colombia's ambassador to Canada, is calling on the Lima Group to make a renewed push for a new presidential election in Venezuela, one that he says would likely end in the defeat of the country's dictator president, Nicolas Maduro.

Canada last hosted the Lima Group one year ago in Ottawa.

The office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he and senior Cabinet ministers would meet with Guaido, whose trip defied a travel ban imposed by Venezuela's pro-Maduro Supreme Court.

The federal Liberals are easing immigration and refugee rules for Venezuelans amid the deepening political and economic crisis in that country.

Previous sanctions have targeted Venezuela's oil industry, the source of most of the country's export revenue.

Venezuela's opposition will meet with representatives of President Nicolas Maduro's government in Barbados for talks mediated by Norway.