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The United States (US) has filed new torture charges on Thursday against ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, further expanding the criminal case against them.
The new charge adds to the drug trafficking and firearms case already facing the couple in the United States. Maduro and Flores were captured by the US military at their Caracas home in January and later taken to New York to face the earlier charges.
According to a court filing on Thursday, the couple allegedly tortured political opponents and US citizens in Venezuelan detention. Prosecutors detailed alleged beatings, electric shocks, asphyxiation, sexual violence and deprivation of food and water.
The filing said torture was allegedly used to “intimidate, harass, and neutralise their opponents, including through kidnappings.”
In one 2022 case, Venezuelan authorities allegedly tortured an American citizen accused of plotting to assassinate Maduro. The filing said the alleged torture included electric shocks to the victim’s arms, legs and genitals, asphyxiation, beatings and forced injections. The charges come after years of allegations that Maduro’s government used political repression to maintain power.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the new charges showed the administration’s commitment to alleged victims of torture and organised crime.
“These additional charges reflect the dedication of this Administration to delivering justice for the victims of torture, narcoterrorism, and organized crime,” Blanche said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the charges reflected Washington’s commitment to “accountability, the rule of law, and the protection of US national security.” Maduro and Flores are already facing charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation and illegal possession of firearms and destructive devices.
Maduro has denied the allegations and described himself as a “prisoner of war”, claiming the US military kidnapped him. Flores has also pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges. She was separately charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism in Thursday’s court filing.
The couple has asked a US judge to dismiss the case, arguing that they have immunity as president and first lady of a sovereign country. Maduro and Flores are being held in a Brooklyn jail and are scheduled to stand trial in New York next June.
Since Maduro’s capture, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as interim leader following pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration. Meanwhile, US energy companies have signed several multibillion-dollar deals with Venezuela this year, giving Washington greater control over parts of the country’s vast oil reserves.
