New charges in an old case
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed a superseding indictment on Thursday that accuses former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, of conspiring to torture prisoners. The filing adds a torture conspiracy count to charges the couple already face. Maduro and 14 others were first indicted in the Southern District of New York in March 2020.
The indictment says the couple worked with senior Venezuelan officials to inflict severe physical and mental pain on members of the political opposition, to silence dissent and to protect their hold on power. It describes beatings, electric shocks and asphyxiation. One official named in the document is accused of ordering the murder of opponents and of threatening the life of a prisoner's child.
Americans among the alleged victims
Prosecutors say more than a dozen American citizens were tortured while in the custody of the Venezuelan government. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the alleged abuses included drugs, electrocution and sexual assault, and that those responsible would now answer for their crimes.
The allegations also cover military insiders whom Maduro feared could turn against him. Investigators say he authorised the DGCIM, Venezuela's military intelligence agency, to use torture against officers suspected of disloyalty, according to reporting on the case.
What comes next
Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have been held in federal custody since January, after Maduro was removed from power. They have pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges of narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking. A trial on those counts is scheduled for June 2027.
The new indictment does not change that schedule, but it widens the case against the former leader. Lawyers following the matter say torture charges can be harder to prove than drug counts because they rest on the testimony of victims and former officials, many of whom remain in Venezuela. Pressure on Maduro's inner circle has grown since he left office, with several former aides now cooperating with US investigators.