Judge Cuts Off Maduro's Court Speech, Enters Not Guilty Plea

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges of torturing US citizens. Judge Alvin Hellerstein cut short Maduro's courtroom statement in Manhattan federal court, entering a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Maduro, 63, who appeared in a tan jail jumpsuit and looked slimmer since his January arrest, rejected the charges through a Spanish interpreter. He called the allegations "false" and stated they repeated previous claims.

"I reject this document in its entirety," Maduro said, before the judge intervened. Hellerstein, who had asked Maduro for a simple guilty or not guilty response, stated, "A plea of not guilty will be entered on behalf of Mr. Maduro."

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, were initially arrested in January on charges of narcoterrorism conspiracy following a raid on their presidential compound. Last week, federal prosecutors in Manhattan added new charges, alleging the couple conspired to torture US citizens imprisoned in Venezuela. One accusation includes a dissident allegedly subjected to an "electric shock to his testicles."

Flores also pleaded not guilty to the charges. Hellerstein postponed the trial by two weeks to June 14, 2027, to accommodate the new indictments.