Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have pleaded not guilty to a new "torture conspiracy" charge unsealed last week, according to Al Jazeera. The two appeared in a New York City court on Friday, after being removed from Caracas in a US military operation in January.
Both had previously pleaded not guilty to a series of other charges, including drug terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.
At a January hearing, held days after being taken into US custody, Maduro said briefly: "I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am an honest man. I am still the president of my country," while insisting he had been "kidnapped."
US attorney Jamie McDonald said last week that the Maduros had for more than two decades "engaged in a torture conspiracy, including the torture of US citizens, alongside the drug and weapons trafficking charges already filed."
The new indictment alleges that Maduro and Flores ran a system of torture, arbitrary detention, and violence targeting "individuals perceived as disloyal or as a threat to their illicit drug operations," as well as a "means of repressing political opposition."
The indictment cites multiple instances in which Maduro and Flores are accused of naming specific individuals as targets, requesting updates on torture, or suggesting techniques. In one 2014 case, Maduro is said to have urged his forces to work harder to extract information from detained military personnel.
"Squeeze them harder," he allegedly said. In another instance, Maduro is accused of proposing sleep deprivation and pouring water on a detainee. The indictment lists abuses under Maduro including beatings, electric torture, and threats against detainees' relatives. US prosecutors, however, do not accuse Maduro or Flores of directly taking part in torture.
Maduro became Venezuela's president in 2013, and his re-elections, most recently in 2024, were repeatedly rejected by the opposition and outside monitors.
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's former vice president, has led the country since Maduro was taken away in January. She initially condemned the US action as an "unlawful, illegal kidnapping." Since then, however, she has maintained close ties with the Trump administration, including overseeing efforts to open the state oil industry to foreign companies.
