Maduro and Flores Deny New Torture Charges

Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty in a New York federal court to newly added charges of conspiracy to commit torture. The charges were added to an existing US case that accuses them and others of drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, weapons-related offenses, and conspiracy involving cocaine and designated terrorist groups. Maduro and Flores were captured during a US military raid in January and remain jailed in New York. Their trial is scheduled for June 2027. Prosecutors allege that Maduro and Flores created and maintained a system of repression in Venezuela in which thousands of people were killed, harassed, or tortured. The indictment lists alleged methods including electric shocks, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture. It also accuses Maduro of authorising torture against specific people and alleges that US citizens were among those tortured. Maduro rejected the accusations in court, calling them false, but Judge Alvin Hellerstein entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Flores also stated that she was completely innocent and not guilty. Both defendants have argued that the case should be dismissed because Maduro, as the leader of a sovereign country, should be protected by sovereign immunity; their lawyers also contend that his capture by the United States was illegal. Maduro has previously characterized the charges as a means of advancing US “imperial” aims to gain access to Venezuela’s oil reserves. Flores separately sought release on bond, citing heart problems and other health concerns while held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, but a judge rejected her request.

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty in a New York court to newly unsealed torture charges. Maduro called the allegations “false accusations” and “false testimony.” When he did not formally enter a plea, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein stated that a not-guilty plea would be entered on his behalf. Flores, speaking through a Spanish interpreter, also declared that she was innocent and not guilty. The couple are in US custody, eight months after the article says they were seized from their Caracas home in a nighttime US military raid. The torture allegations have been added to previously filed drug-trafficking charges. Their trial is scheduled to begin on June 14, 2027. The indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of helping lead a state-sponsored campaign of repression during Maduro’s presidency, from 2013 to 2026. Prosecutors allege that security forces tortured prisoners through electric shocks, beatings and asphyxiation. Maduro is accused of recommending torture methods, receiving updates about particular victims, and threatening to kill a prisoner’s child as psychological torture. Flores is alleged to have helped develop the repressive system and ordered the torture of specific people. Human rights groups have for years accused Venezuelan officials of torturing detainees. The US indictment, the article says, is the first occasion on which Maduro could be held to account over these allegations. Maduro has also been under investigation by the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity connected to the crackdown on opponents, though the ICC has not issued a warrant against him. The article explains that torture can be prosecuted internationally, regardless of where it occurred or the victims’ nationality, but says prosecutions of foreign officials in the United States are rare. It cites cases involving Charles Taylor’s son, Russians accused of war crimes in Ukraine, and a former prison warden in Syria under Bashar Assad.

Nicolás Maduro appeared in a New York court on Thursday to face a rewritten indictment accusing him and his wife, Cilia Flores, of helping lead a state-sponsored system of torture and repression in Venezuela. Maduro called the allegations “false accusations and false testimony.” After he declined to enter a plea directly, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein entered not-guilty pleas for both defendants. Flores also told the court, through an interpreter, that she was completely innocent and not guilty. The indictment alleges that Maduro oversaw a system in which victims were beaten, asphyxiated and subjected to electric shocks. It further claims he recommended torture methods, received reports about particular victims, and threatened to kill a prisoner’s child as psychological torture. Flores, a former attorney general, is accused of helping develop the system and ordering the torture of specific individuals. Maduro and Flores were taken from their Caracas home in a US military raid in January. Their lawyers deny the allegations, and Maduro’s attorney says he looks forward to trial. The charges add to a US drug-trafficking case in which the couple previously pleaded not guilty. Their lawyers argue that the case should be dismissed on grounds of immunity because Maduro was a foreign head of state and Flores was first lady. Prosecutors said both sides want the trial date moved from 1 June to 14 June. The article notes that torture is prohibited under international law and may be prosecuted outside the country where it occurred, regardless of victims’ nationalities. However, US prosecutions of foreign officials are rare. Maduro, who governed Venezuela from 2013 until his capture, has also been under International Criminal Court investigation for alleged crimes against humanity connected to the crackdown on opponents. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.