Maduro and wife face new US torture conspiracy charges
US prosecutors have charged Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture over the alleged abuse of Americans and others held in Venezuelan custody.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have brought new charges against former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores over the alleged torture of Americans and others held in Venezuelan government custody.
A revised indictment unsealed on Thursday charges each of them with an additional count of conspiracy to commit torture, according to prosecutors. The indictment alleges that when Maduro became president in 2013 he “authorised the use of torture” and oversaw a system of torture, arbitrary detention and violence used to repress the political opposition.
Prosecutors say the alleged abuse included electric shocks, starvation and threats to harm or kill victims’ families. The charges relate to the wrongful detention of more than a dozen US citizens in Venezuelan prisons. Investigators have also discussed charging several other people over their alleged role, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The announcement came on the same day Flores appeared in a Manhattan federal court, where her lawyers asked that she be moved to house arrest on health grounds. Prosecutors oppose her release, arguing she is a flight risk.
Both have pleaded not guilty to narcoterrorism conspiracy and other charges. They were captured in a US military raid in Caracas on 3 January and are being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, with trial scheduled for 1 June 2027. Maduro’s lawyer is challenging the legality of the arrest and argues he should have head-of-state immunity; prosecutors say Venezuela’s government is not backing that claim.
Sources
- CNN: “Nicolás Maduro and his wife face new charges over alleged torture of Americans” — https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/07/politics/maduro-face-new-torture-charges?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_meta
- The Wall Street Journal: “U.S. Prosecutors Bring Torture Charge Against Nicolás Maduro” — https://www.wsj.com/us-news/u-s-prosecutors-bring-torture-charge-against-nicolas-maduro-bc8b6527
- Reuters (via LA Post reprint): “Venezuela’s Maduro to face new US charges over alleged torture of Americans, official says” — https://www.lapost.com/content/venezuela-s-maduro-to-face-new-us-charges-over-alleged-torture-of-americans-official-says
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