{
  "id": 14783748,
  "title": "Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores Plead Not Guilty to Torture, the New Charge They Face",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/nicolas-maduro-and-cilia-flores-plead-not-guilty-to-torture-the-new",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-15T20:31:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Colombia One",
    "slug": "colombia-one",
    "url": "https://colombiaone.com/2026/10/15/nicolas-maduro-cilia-flores-plead-not-guilty/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in a Manhattan court on October 15, 2023, to plead not guilty to charges of conspiracy to torture political and military opponents who allegedly conspired against the Venezuelan regime. This new charge adds to the ongoing judicial proceedings they face for offenses related to drug trafficking and weapons. The couple was captured in Caracas on January 3, 2026, and taken to the United States. In court, Maduro and Flores were visibly thin and wearing khaki prison uniforms, with their feet chained together. They were charged with acts such as alleged kidnappings, simulated drownings, rapes, and beatings of detainees, including US citizens. The indictment also stated that Maduro allegedly ordered the kidnapping of military personnel in 2014 to obtain information about dissidents. Flores allegedly supported the plan, according to prosecutors. Both appeared before Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who recorded their pleas of not guilty. The trial on these charges has been postponed by two weeks to June 14, 2027.",
  "summary": "Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty before the U.S. justice system again this Thursday, Oct. 15, this time to the charge of conspiracy to torture political and military opponents accused of conspiring against the Venezuelan regime. In this way, according to the indictment, Maduro sought to remain in […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}