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Maduro and Flores face a new US torture-conspiracy charge

US prosecutors added a torture-conspiracy charge to the New York case against Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores. The indictment alleges repression and abuse of detainees, including US citizens; Maduro’s lawyer denies the allegations. The couple already face drug and weapons charges. A judge rejected Flores’s house-arrest request, and their trial is scheduled for June next year.

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Prosecutors add a charge in the New York case

US prosecutors added a conspiracy-to-commit-torture charge to the case against former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on October 8. The expanded indictment in New York alleges that the couple participated in repression involving violence against political opponents, arbitrary detention and torture, including of US citizens.[1], [2]

Maduro’s lawyer Barry J Pollack said his client denies the new allegations and will defend himself in court. The couple have also denied the existing drug-trafficking and weapons allegations. The new indictment sets out prosecution accusations; neither defendant has been convicted on those charges.[1]

Indictment alleges abuse of detainees

Prosecutors described electric shocks, asphyxiation, sexual violence, forced nudity, prolonged isolation and starvation. They alleged threats against victims’ families and claimed Flores ordered torture of particular detainees and received updates about them, partly to protect relatives involved in illegal activity. The accusations also cover people detained after the failed drone attack in 2018 and a US citizen held in January 2025.[1]

Judge rejects Flores’s house-arrest request

A judge rejected Flores’s request for house arrest on Thursday. Trial is scheduled to begin in June 2027. Maduro and Flores have been held in a Brooklyn detention centre since US forces seized them at their Caracas compound in January. Delcy Rodríguez became Venezuela’s interim leader after Maduro’s removal. The torture allegation joins their existing criminal case in Manhattan.[1]

References

  1. News sourceBBCMaduro and Flores face US torture-conspiracy charge↩1↩2↩3↩4
  2. News sourceFox NewsMaduro and Flores face a new US torture-conspiracy charge↩
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