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The United States on Thursday filed new torture charges against ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who are being held by U.S. authorities.
Maduro (63) and Flores face charges, which they deny, of drug trafficking into the United States and possession of firearms. The couple was arrested during a U.S. military operation in Caracas in January.
In addition to these two charges, they were charged with conspiracy to commit torture against victims, including U.S. citizens, in Venezuelan detention centers, where prosecutors detailed allegations of waterboarding, rape, and beatings, according to a judicial memorandum revealed Thursday.
According to the memorandum, the goal was to "suppress and punish political opposition, silence dissidents and those suspected of opposing them, maintain and protect the influence and power of those involved in the conspiracy, and intimidate, harass, and neutralize their opponents, including through kidnappings."
In an incident dating back to 2022, Venezuelan authorities allegedly tortured an American they accused of plotting to assassinate Maduro.
The memorandum stated that "the torture included electric shocks to the arms, legs, and genitals, strangulation, beatings, deprivation of food and water, and forced injection of a substance that caused the victim to suffer seizures."
During his presidency between 2013 and 2026, human rights organizations accused Maduro of resorting to political repression to remain in power.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said via the X platform that "these additional charges reflect this administration's commitment to achieving justice for victims of torture, narco-terrorism, and organized crime."
FBI Director Kash Patel said the latest charges demonstrate Washington's commitment to "accountability, the rule of law, and the protection of U.S. national security."
- "Prisoner of War" -
The trial of Maduro and Flores, who are being held in a Brooklyn prison, is scheduled to begin in New York next June.
In previous charges, U.S. prosecutors say Maduro used state power to protect and promote drug trafficking operations and allied with cartels to export tons of cocaine to the United States.
In contrast, Maduro pleaded not guilty to four charges related to conspiracy in a "narco-terrorism" case, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosive devices, and conspiracy to possess them.
He described himself as a "prisoner of war" and said the U.S. military kidnapped him.
Flores pleaded not guilty to three charges: the first related to conspiracy to import cocaine, the second to possession of machine guns and explosives, and the third to conspiracy to possess weapons.
According to the new judicial memorandum, Flores was also charged with conspiracy to commit "narco-terrorism."
A U.S. court on Thursday also rejected Flores' request to be transferred from prison to house arrest in a private home in New York to help her deal with a health problem believed to be heart-related.
Maduro and Flores requested that the charges against them be dropped, asserting that they enjoy immunity as president and first lady of a sovereign state.
Since Maduro's arrest, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been governing Venezuela as acting president and has since shown significant cooperation with Washington.
U.S. energy companies signed a series of multi-billion dollar deals with Venezuela this year, while Caracas agreed to grant the United States control over a huge portion of its massive oil reserves.
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