Venezuela's ex-leader Nicolás Maduro charged with conspiracy to commit torture
U.S. federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed a superseding indictment charging former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, with conspiracy to commit torture, adding to the drug‑trafficking and weapons accusations already pending against the pair. The indictment alleges that, while Maduro governed, the couple oversaw a systematic campaign of violence against political opponents that included electric shocks, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells and psychological abuse such as threats to kill detainees’ families. Prosecutors say the torture targeted U.S. citizens held in Venezuela, causing “significant harm” to Americans, and that Flores personally ordered and monitored specific cases to protect family members involved in illicit activities. Both Maduro and Flores have been detained in a Brooklyn federal detention center since their capture in a pre‑dawn raid on their Caracas compound in January, and a judge denied Flores’s request for house arrest; their trial is scheduled for June 2027.
The new charges underscore a broader narrative of state‑sanctioned repression that persisted throughout Maduro’s rule and, according to the indictment, was designed to entrench the couple’s grip on power. Human‑rights advocates have long documented similar abuses: Javier Tarazona of a Venezuelan rights group described a 46‑day confinement in a tiny punishment cell after an arbitrary arrest, while former inmate Ángel Godoy recounted months of isolation without contact with his wife. Although an interim government led by Vice‑president Delcy Rodríguez—installed after the United States facilitated Maduro’s ouster—has released hundreds of political prisoners under an amnesty law, more than 300 remain incarcerated, according to the watchdog Foro Penal. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned in March that reports of ongoing torture suggest “structural and systemic human‑rights concerns” continue despite the leadership change, a claim the Venezuelan foreign minister dismissed as extremist propaganda.
The indictment’s revelations arrive as the United States prepares to bring the case to trial, with both defendants maintaining their innocence. Maduro’s lawyer, Barry J. Pollack, reiterated that his client denies the new allegations and looks forward to a courtroom hearing. The prosecution’s emphasis on the torture of U.S. citizens aims to highlight the direct impact on American interests and to reinforce the “epitome of corruption” narrative surrounding the former regime. If convicted, the charges could result in substantial additional penalties beyond the existing drug‑trafficking and weapons counts, further isolating Maduro and Flores legally and politically. The case also places international scrutiny on Venezuela’s current human‑rights situation, potentially influencing future diplomatic and humanitarian actions toward the country’s remaining political prisoners.
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