Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s deposed former president, and his wife, Cilia Flores, appear in a Manhattan federal court and plead not guilty to new U.S. charges alleging they conspired to torture U.S. citizens and other detainees. Prosecutors say the couple directed officials to carry out torture as part of a campaign against political opponents and suspected dissidents. If convicted, both face decades in prison, with reports citing at least 50 years.
The charges are presented in the context of a broader U.S. case. Multiple outlets note that the indictment is connected to earlier allegations related to abuse of power tied to drug trafficking, and the torture allegations are framed as an additional basis for criminal liability. Maduro and Flores deny the allegations, telling the court the claims are false. Some coverage also describes court proceedings where Maduro disputes the allegations and rejects the prosecution’s narrative.
