US files new torture charges against Maduro and his wife
US prosecutors on Thursday filed new charges against ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, alleging conspiracy to commit torture in Venezuelan detention. The couple already face drug and firearms charges, with a trial set for New York next June.
US authorities on Thursday, October 8, filed new charges against Venezuela's former president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, alleging conspiracy to commit torture against people, including US citizens, held in Venezuelan detention. Both are in US custody after being seized from their Caracas compound in a US military raid in January. The new counts add to an existing criminal case against the couple.
What prosecutors allege
The court filing describes alleged waterboardings, rapes and beatings. Torture was allegedly used to intimidate and neutralize opponents, including through kidnappings. In one 2022 instance, Venezuelan authorities allegedly tortured an American accused of plotting to assassinate Maduro. The filing cites electric shocks, asphyxiation, beatings, deprivation of food and water, and forced injections that caused seizures.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the charges reflect a commitment to justice for victims of torture, narcoterrorism and organized crime. FBI Director Kash Patel stressed accountability and the rule of law.
Existing charges and court
Maduro and Flores already face drug trafficking and firearms charges. Prosecutors say Maduro used state power to protect drug smuggling and allied with cartels to ship cocaine into the United States. Maduro denies the charges, calls himself a "prisoner of war" and says the US military kidnapped him. Flores has pleaded not guilty and is additionally charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy.
The same day, a US court denied Flores's request to move from jail to private home detention in New York because of an apparent heart problem. Both have appealed for the charges to be dismissed, claiming immunity. Since Maduro's capture, vice president Delcy Rodriguez has governed Venezuela as interim leader.
