Maduro and Flores face US torture conspiracy charges

U.S. prosecutors charged Venezuela's former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture, unsealing a superseding indictment on Thursday. The trial for both is set to begin in June 2027.

The indictment accuses the former presidential couple of entrenching themselves in power by presiding over a system of repression. Prosecutors allege this system relied on violence against political opposition, arbitrary detention, and the torture of detainees, including United States citizens. The new accusations relate to the alleged torture of U.S. citizens held in Venezuela while Maduro was in power.

The torture methods listed include electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture. The psychological torture allegedly included threats to kill victims' families, including children. Prosecutors accuse Maduro of personally threatening the killing of one prisoner’s child and of signing off on methods of torture. Thousands of Venezuelans were harassed, threatened, arrested, prosecuted, assaulted, tortured, or killed by people acting at the government's behest, the indictment states.

Prosecutors said outside the courthouse on Thursday: "This conduct, we allege, has caused significant harm to Americans, to US citizens." They called it the epitome of corruption. All of this was done, they allege, to ensure that Maduro and Flores retained their power.

Flores is accused of playing a key role in developing this repressive system. The court document alleges she ordered that individuals be tortured and even received updates on the torture of specific prisoners. It claims she did so to protect members of her family who were involved in illegal activities.

Detention and legal proceedings

Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have been in custody since January in a detention centre in Brooklyn. U.S. forces seized them in a pre-dawn raid on their compound in Caracas. Both have pleaded not guilty to the existing drug-trafficking and weapons charges, which they deny. Federal prosecutors announced on Thursday that Flores was added to the earlier narco-terrorism charge.

Flores's request to be moved to house arrest was denied by a judge on Thursday. Her lawyers had argued she has medical issues that cannot be treated effectively in jail and proposed she live under 24-hour guard at a residence in New York. Lawyers for the couple have asked for the case to be dismissed on grounds of immunity as leader and first lady of a foreign country. They face potential life prison sentences if convicted.

Human rights context in Venezuela

Despite Maduro's ouster, human rights concerns persist in Venezuela. After his capture, his vice-president Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim leader with the backing of the Trump administration. While hundreds of political prisoners have been released under an amnesty law since she took power, more than 300 still remain behind bars, according to the prisoners' rights group Foro Penal.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned in March that his office has received reports alleging that detainees continue to be tortured even after Maduro's seizure. He said structural and systemic human rights concerns had persisted. Venezuela's foreign minister at the time accused Türk of parroting the agenda of extremists by citing the allegations.

Javier Tarazona, head of a human rights group in Venezuela, told how he and his brother were held in a tiny punishment cell for 46 days after being arbitrarily arrested. Former inmate Ángel Godoy said he was kept isolated for months and not allowed to contact his wife, who was kept in the dark about his whereabouts.

Flores’ health and detention conditions

Flores has suffered a significant health decline while in custody. She has lost 25 pounds (11 kilograms) while imprisoned at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. She has been told she might need heart surgery and suffers lingering lightheadedness, dizziness, and shortness of breath. She might have suffered a minor heart attack in July.

She also bears permanent scarring from being thrown against a wall or dresser during the U.S. military action that led to her capture.

Background and denials

Maduro's attorney, Barry J Pollack, said his client denies the new charges and looks forward to his day in court. Both Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty in the criminal case, which was first brought years ago against them and numerous alleged co-conspirators. The trial for both Maduro and Flores is set to begin in June 2027.