Photo: Getty Images South America
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in federal court in New York City on Thursday (October 15) to plead not guilty to new charges of conspiracy to commit torture. The couple, dressed in beige prison uniforms, denied the allegations, which include creating a repressive environment that led to the torture and killing of thousands of Venezuelans and U.S. citizens, as reported by the BBC.
The U.S. government initially charged Maduro with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons-related offenses before adding the new charges last week. The indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of directing the torture of at least nine victims, including three U.S. citizens. The alleged methods of torture include "electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture," according to Courthouse News.
Maduro and Flores were captured in January during a U.S. military raid and have been held in a New York jail since then. They have argued for the case to be dismissed on the grounds of sovereign immunity, claiming that as leaders of a sovereign nation, they are immune from prosecution. However, their trial is scheduled to begin on June 14, 2027, after being delayed by two weeks to accommodate pretrial arguments related to the new charges, as reported by Politico.
During the court proceedings, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Maduro after he repeatedly proclaimed his innocence. Flores also declared her innocence through a translator, stating, "I am completely innocent. I am not guilty."
The couple's legal team continues to challenge the charges, arguing that their capture and detention by U.S. forces were illegal acts of war. Despite these claims, the U.S. government maintains that the charges are justified based on the alleged crimes committed under Maduro's leadership.