U.S. adds torture charges against Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores, expanding existing criminal case

U.S. prosecutors have charged former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture, adding to the drug trafficking charges they already face in New York.

The indictment, unsealed Thursday, accuses Maduro and Flores of authorizing and overseeing the torture of political opponents to help maintain their grip on power. The allegations include the 2013 torture of a Venezuelan military officer suspected of plotting a coup and the 2022 torture of an American detainee accused of planning an assassination attempt.

Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and are awaiting trial in U.S. custody.