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

According to prosecutors in the United States, former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been charged with conspiracy to commit torture. This new allegation comes on top of prior drug-trafficking and weapons charges they have been facing, which they have denied. Maduro and Flores have been held in a Brooklyn detention center since January, following a pre-dawn raid on their compound in Caracas.

Human rights groups and former prisoners in Venezuela have long criticized the country's jail system for widespread systematic torture. The latest charges allege that Maduro and Flores orchestrated a system of repression involving violence against political opponents, arbitrary detentions, and the torture of detainees - including US citizens.

The indictment claims the torture methods included electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture, such as threats to kill victims' families. Prosecutors assert that Flores played a crucial role in developing this repressive system, ordering torture and receiving updates on specific cases to shield family members involved in illegal activities.

The victim's families were also threatened with harm. The indictment states that the primary motivation for these actions was to maintain Maduro and Flores' hold on power. Prosecutors allege that Flores was instrumental in selecting individuals for torture and receiving updates on specific prisoners' torture sessions to protect her family's activities.

The former inmates' testimonies echo the allegations in the indictment, including cases of extended isolation and lack of contact with loved ones. The trial for both Maduro and Flores is scheduled to commence in June 2027.