Venezuela's ex-leader Nicolás Maduro charged with conspiracy to commit torture

The US government has filed new charges against Venezuela's former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, alleging conspiracy to commit torture. The accusations, unsealed on Thursday, build upon previous drug trafficking and weapons charges against the couple, which they have denied. Maduro and Flores have been held in custody since January, following a pre-dawn raid on their compound in Caracas.

Human rights groups have long denounced the systematic torture practiced in Venezuelan jails. The latest accusations allege that the former presidential couple orchestrated a system of repression involving violence, arbitrary detention, and torture of detainees, including US citizens. The indictment claims the torture encompassed electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture, including threats to kill victims' families, including children.

Prosecutors assert that the motivation for the repression was to maintain Maduro and Flores' power, with Flores allegedly playing a key role in developing the repressive system and ordering specific tortures to protect her family's illegal activities. The allegations mirror those made by released prisoners in Venezuela. The trial for Maduro and Flores is scheduled to commence in June 2027.