Venezuela’s Maduro, wife plead not guilty to new US torture charges

Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have pleaded not guilty to new torture charges brought against them by US prosecutors. The couple appeared in a New York court, where they are set to face trial in June. Prosecutors allege that Maduro and Flores conspired to commit acts such as waterboarding, rape, and beatings against victims, including American citizens, in Venezuelan detention.

The charges come after the pair was captured in a US military raid in January and are already facing drug trafficking and firearms charges. Maduro's vice-president, Delcy Rodriguez, has been governing Venezuela as interim leader since his capture, under pressure from the US administration.

Brief written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.