Former Venezuelan President Maduro And Wife Faces Fresh US Charges Over Alleged Torture

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been charged in the United States with conspiracy to commit torture, adding a new allegation to the criminal case they already face over alleged drug trafficking offences.

The new charge was contained in a superseding indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. US prosecutors allege that Maduro and Flores authorised and oversaw a system of torture, arbitrary detention and violence against political opponents during Maduro’s 13-year rule.

According to the indictment, prosecutors accuse the couple of using repression and violence to maintain their hold on power. The allegations include electric shocks, beatings, asphyxiation and psychological threats against detainees and their families. Prosecutors also allege that Maduro approved torture methods and personally threatened the life of a prisoner’s child as a means of psychological pressure.

The new allegations expand a case that began with charges accusing Maduro, Flores and other alleged co-conspirators of participating in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy. Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges and remain detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Their trial is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027.

The torture allegations include claims involving Americans who were detained in Venezuela during Maduro’s presidency. US officials had previously accused the Venezuelan government of wrongfully detaining American citizens and using some of them as leverage in negotiations with Washington.

Among those detained were five executives from US oil company Citgo, who were arrested in Venezuela on corruption-related accusations and later released in 2022 in a prisoner exchange. Two former US Army Special Forces members were also detained after a failed 2020 operation aimed at removing Maduro. They were released in 2023.

The allegations against Maduro also come amid a dramatic change in his political circumstances. US forces captured Maduro and Flores at their home in Caracas on January 3, 2026, and transported them to the United States to face prosecution. Maduro has described his capture as a kidnapping, while the Trump administration has characterised the operation as a law-enforcement action.

Flores, 69, is separately seeking release from detention on medical grounds. Her lawyers have asked a federal judge to allow her to live under house arrest in New York with round-the-clock private security while she awaits trial. They say she has suffered health problems in custody and requires treatment, including a possible cardiac procedure.

US prosecutors are opposing the request, arguing that Flores represents an extreme flight risk and could pose a danger to the public. They also maintain that she has received appropriate medical treatment while in custody.

The new indictment does not amount to a conviction. Maduro and Flores are entitled to contest the allegations in court, and their lawyers have challenged the broader prosecution, including arguing that they should be protected by immunity as Venezuela’s former leaders.

If convicted on the existing and new allegations, the couple could face lengthy prison sentences. The case is expected to become a major test of Washington’s efforts to prosecute alleged abuses committed during Maduro’s years in power.