Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores plead not guilty to U.S. torture conspiracy charges
New indictments in New York accuse Maduro and his wife of ordering torture as part of a campaign to retain power.
Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty this week to new U.S. charges that accuse them of conspiring to have political opponents tortured.
The fresh indictments, filed last week, broaden the federal case against Maduro (63) and Flores (70). Both had earlier pleaded not guilty to separate allegations that they used state power to assist cocaine traffickers.
Prosecutors describe a campaign of intimidation
At a hearing in the Federal Court in Manhattan, Maduro rejected the new accusations as false, while Flores stated she was “completely innocent.” Federal prosecutors say Maduro ordered Venezuelan officials to torture opposition politicians and military figures suspected of plotting against him as part of a strategy to retain power.
The indictment alleges that in 2014 Maduro ordered the kidnapping of military personnel to extract information about potential dissidents and instructed subordinates that those who resisted “they should be pressed harder.” Prosecutors say Flores supported that approach. The couple are not accused of personally carrying out the alleged crimes.
If convicted on all counts, the indictment says the pair face a combined statutory minimum of 50 years in prison. Because of the new charges, Judge Alvin Hellerstein delayed the trial’s start by two weeks; the proceedings are now expected to begin on June 14, 2027.
Maduro and Flores were arrested on January 3 at their home in Caracas and transferred to the United States after a U.S. military operation ordered by President Donald Trump. They have been held in custody in Brooklyn since their arrival. In Maduro’s absence, former vice president Delcy Rodriguez has taken control of state affairs and stepped up cooperation with the United States.
The Trump administration has emphasized Maduro’s capture and the renewed engagement with Venezuela as significant foreign-policy achievements ahead of November’s congressional elections.
Photo: press material from the event
