Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty to torture charges

Venezuelan former president Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, entered the court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to commit torture. Initially, the US government had accused Maduro of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses. However, they later added new charges against Maduro and Flores last week.

Captured in January during a US military raid, the couple is currently incarcerated in New York. They have both pleaded not guilty and sought the dismissal of the case, citing sovereign immunity. Their trial is set for June 2027.

In a recent indictment, government prosecutors alleged that Maduro and Flores established and maintained a violent repressive system that resulted in "thousands" of Venezuelan deaths, harassment, and torture. Maduro denied the new charges, asserting through a translator that he was "completely innocent" and rejected the "false accusations and false testimony."

Judge Alvin Hellerstein accepted the plea of not guilty on Maduro's behalf. Both Maduro and Flores appeared in court wearing beige jail uniforms and had reportedly lost weight during their detention in Brooklyn. The indictment lists torture methods that include electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture.

The US government also accused Maduro of authorizing the use of torture "against specific individuals," alleging that US citizens were also subjected to the same torture methods. Prosecutors have already charged Maduro, his wife, and son, along with their associates, with a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and partnering with designated terrorist groups.

Maduro's legal team argues that he is the leader of a sovereign nation and thus immune from prosecution, contending that his forcible removal by the US is illegal. Flores' lawyer unsuccessfully requested to release her on bond due to heart problems and other health concerns while detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.