Ex-Venezuelan President Maduro Faces New Torture Charges in US Court
Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been in US custody since January, facing previous charges of narco-terrorism.
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been indicted on new charges of torture and other crimes in U.S. federal court, according to documents unsealed Thursday. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been detained in the U.S. since early January, following their arrest by U.S. authorities in an overnight raid.
Maduro is already facing charges in the U.S. related to narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking, and illegal weapons offenses. Both he and Flores have pleaded not guilty to all charges. The indictment follows a January 3 raid by U.S. Special Forces that detained the former Venezuelan president and his wife at their compound.
President Donald Trump and administration officials characterized the raid as a "surgical law enforcement operation," while Maduro has denounced it as "kidnapping."
Since his detention, Maduro has been held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. Photographs released in June showed him wearing shackles and tracksuits, appearing relaxed and smiling.
