Maduro and Wife Face New Torture Charges in New York
Federal prosecutors in New York have unsealed a superseding indictment charging former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture. The new charges allege that Maduro authorized a system of repression against political opponents and that he and his inner circle tortured more than a dozen Americans held in Venezuelan prisons. The indictment details specific acts of abuse, including electrocution, waterboarding, and forced ingestion of vomit. Maduro and Flores, who were captured in a US military raid in January 2026, have pleaded not guilty to existing drug and weapons charges. While Maduro’s defense team claims sovereign immunity, prosecutors argue he is a former rogue official with no such protection. A trial is currently scheduled for June 2027.