Prosecutors in the United States have accused Venezuela's former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, of conspiracy to commit torture. The charges were made public on Thursday and are in addition to the existing drug-trafficking and weapons charges already brought against them, which they have denied. Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have been in custody since January in a detention centre in Brooklyn.
The new accusations relate to the alleged torture of US citizens who were being held in Venezuela while Maduro was in power. The superseding indictment accuses the former presidential couple of "entrenching themselves in power" by presiding "over a system of repression that relied on violence against political opposition, arbitrary detention, and the torture of detainees, including United States citizens". The indictment details various forms of torture, including electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, and psychological torture.
According to the indictment, the psychological torture included threats to kill victims' families, including children. The motivation behind the repression, according to the indictment, was to ensure that Maduro and his wife remained in power. The prosecution accuses Flores of having played a key role in the development of the repressive system, ordering that individuals be tortured and even receiving updates on the torture of specific prisoners.
The allegations contained in the superseding indictment echo many of the accusations long made by prisoners who have been released from detention in Venezuela. Javier Tarazona, the head of a human rights group in Venezuela, and Ángel Godoy, a former inmate, have shared their experiences of being held in tiny punishment cells and subjected to isolation and torture.
The trial for both Maduro and Flores is set to begin in June 2027. Both are being held in a detention centre in Brooklyn and are expected to remain there after Flores's request to be moved to house arrest was denied by a judge on Thursday. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has warned that his office has received reports alleging that detainees continue to be tortured even after Maduro's ouster.
Human rights groups in Venezuela and former prisoners have long denounced what they have described as "systematic torture" in Venezuelan jails. While hundreds of political prisoners have been released under an amnesty law since Maduro's ouster, more than 300 still remain behind bars, according to prisoners' rights group Foro Penal.
The charges against Maduro and Flores are a significant development in the ongoing accountability efforts for human rights abuses committed during Maduro's time in power. The prosecution's allegations highlight the extent of the repressive system and the roles played by key individuals in perpetuating it.
Key points
- US prosecutors charge Maduro and wife with conspiracy to commit torture.
- Charges add to existing drug-trafficking and weapons charges against Maduro and Flores.
- Trial set to begin in June 2027, with both defendants currently held in a Brooklyn detention centre.
