Maduro, Wife Face New Torture Charges in US Indictment
A superseding indictment alleges the Venezuelan leaders conspired to torture Americans and others as part of a systematic repression.
Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been charged with conspiracy to commit torture against Americans and others, according to a superseding indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The indictment alleges that Maduro's government "presided over a system of repression that relied on violence against political opposition, arbitrary detention, and the torture of detainees, including United States citizens."
The alleged torture tactics included electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, and psychological torment, such as threats against victims' families. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if torture resulted in death, or 20 years if not.
One incident described in the indictment details the alleged torture of a U.S. detainee accused of plotting against Maduro. This detainee was reportedly beaten for days, doused with a noxious liquid, and subjected to electric shocks to his torso and genitals. This individual was released and returned to the U.S. in October 2022 after nearly nine months of detention.
Maduro and Flores, who face numerous other charges, were arrested in Venezuela in January during "Operation Absolute Resolve." Maduro was originally indicted in 2011 on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy, with the indictment unsealed in 2020 by the Trump administration's Justice Department. Flores was later charged with related offenses.
Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges and face a minimum of 50 years in prison if convicted. A trial is scheduled for June 2027.
Flores appeared in court for a bond hearing, with her attorneys requesting home confinement due to a heart condition. The request was denied by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who sided with the government's argument that she poses a flight risk and a danger to the public. Attorneys for both Maduro and Flores have filed motions to dismiss the charges based on diplomatic immunity.