Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores appeared before a federal judge on Thursday to enter not guilty pleas to charges of conspiracy to commit torture. The charges represent an expansion of the initial allegations filed by US prosecutors, which had focused on narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons-related offenses.
According to the newly filed indictment from last week, prosecutors allege that Maduro and Flores “created and maintained a violent system of repression” responsible for killing, harassing, and torturing thousands of Venezuelans. The government claims the alleged torture methods included electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, and psychological torture. Prosecutors further assert that Maduro authorized the use of torture against specific individuals and that US citizens were victimized under this system.
Both Maduro and Flores were captured in January during a US military raid and have since been detained in Brooklyn. The couple’s legal team has filed motions to dismiss the case, arguing that Maduro, as a sovereign leader, is entitled to immunity from prosecution and that his forcible removal by the US was unlawful. Flores previously sought release on bond, citing health concerns during her detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center, but the petition was unsuccessful.
The trial is scheduled to begin in June 2027. Prior to these new charges, Maduro and his associates faced accusations of involvement in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and partnerships with designated terrorist cartels. Maduro has previously characterized the charges against him as part of US imperial interests aimed at gaining control over Venezuela’s oil resources.
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