{
  "id": 12907826,
  "title": "Venezuela’s ex-leader Nicolás Maduro charged with conspiracy to commit torture",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/venezuelas-ex-leader-nicolas-maduro-charged-with-conspiracy-to-commit-12907826",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-08T16:28:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/venezuelas-ex-leader-nicolas-maduro-charged-with-conspiracy-to-commit-torture/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States has accused Venezuela's former leader, Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores of conspiracy to commit torture. This is in addition to the drug-trafficking and weapons charges they already face, which they have denied. The couple was detained in Brooklyn last January after being seized in a surprise early morning raid at their compound in Caracas, Venezuela's capital. Human rights groups in Venezuela and former inmates have long complained about what they describe as \"systematic torture\" in Venezuelan prisons. The trial for Maduro and Flores is scheduled to begin in June 2027. They are currently held in a detention center in Brooklyn and are expected to remain there even after Flores's request for house arrest was denied. The new accusations involve the alleged torture of US citizens detained in Venezuela while Maduro was in power. The indictment alleges that they conspired to maintain their rule by overseeing a system of repression involving violence against political opposition, arbitrary arrests, and torture of detainees, including US citizens. The torture reportedly included electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture, such as threats to kill victims' families. Cilia Flores is accused of playing a key role in creating this repressive system, ordering specific individuals to be tortured and receiving updates on their torture to protect her family members engaged in illegal activities. Former inmates like Javier Tarazona and Ángel Godoy have described similar experiences of arbitrary detention and isolation. The allegations in the new indictment correspond to cases from Maduro's time in power. Despite Maduro's removal, more than 300 political prisoners remain in custody, according to the organization Foro Penal. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned of ongoing torture reports even after Maduro's ousting, stating that \"structural and systemic human rights concerns\" persist in Venezuela.",
  "summary": "Prosecutors in the United States have accused Venezuela's former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, of conspiracy to commit torture.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 15,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "Nicolás Maduro’s wife to appear in court to push for release from New York jail",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/nicolas-maduros-wife-to-appear-in-court-to-push-for-release-from-new",
        "published": "2026-10-08T11:46:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBC News",
        "title": "Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, wife Celia Flores charged with torture in new indictment",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/ousted-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro-wife-celia-flores-charged",
        "published": "2026-10-08T14:49:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Fortune",
        "title": "Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro faces new U.S. torture charges after 9 months in a New York jail",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/former-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro-faces-new-u-s-torture",
        "published": "2026-10-08T15:09:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "US charges former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with torture",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/us-charges-former-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro-with-torture",
        "published": "2026-10-08T15:19:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and his wife charged over torture allegations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/venezuelas-nicolas-maduro-and-his-wife-charged-over-torture",
        "published": "2026-10-08T15:20:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC World",
        "title": "Venezuela's ex-leader Nicolás Maduro charged with conspiracy to commit torture",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/venezuelas-ex-leader-nicolas-maduro-charged-with-conspiracy-to-commit",
        "published": "2026-10-08T15:43:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "Maduro and wife Flores face new charge of conspiracy to commit torture",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/maduro-and-wife-flores-face-new-charge-of-conspiracy-to-commit-torture",
        "published": "2026-10-08T15:50:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NPR",
        "title": "New U.S. indictment charges former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with torture",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/new-u-s-indictment-charges-former-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro",
        "published": "2026-10-08T16:05:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Nicolas Maduro, wife face torture charge in new U.S. indictment",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/nicolas-maduro-wife-face-torture-charge-in-new-u-s-indictment",
        "published": "2026-10-08T16:07:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "Electric shocks, beatings: Maduro and wife accused of torture conspiracy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/electric-shocks-beatings-maduro-and-wife-accused-of-torture-conspiracy",
        "published": "2026-10-08T16:18:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Age",
        "title": "Electric shocks, beatings: Maduro and wife accused of torture conspiracy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/electric-shocks-beatings-maduro-and-wife-accused-of-torture-conspiracy-12903133",
        "published": "2026-10-08T16:18:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "US charges former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with torture",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/us-charges-former-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro-with-torture-12907253",
        "published": "2026-10-08T16:20:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "People Daily Kenya",
        "title": "Venezuela’s ex-leader Nicolás Maduro charged with conspiracy to commit torture",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/venezuelas-ex-leader-nicolas-maduro-charged-with-conspiracy-to-commit",
        "published": "2026-10-08T16:55:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "KahawaTungu",
        "title": "Venezuela’s ex-leader Nicolás Maduro charged with conspiracy to commit torture",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/venezuelas-ex-leader-nicolas-maduro-charged-with-conspiracy-to-commit-12970275",
        "published": "2026-10-08T22:13:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}