Nicolás Maduro and wife charged with torture in new US indictment

Federal prosecutors in the United States have unsealed a new indictment accusing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, of conspiring to commit torture to maintain their grip on power. The superseding indictment made public on Thursday adds fresh human rights abuse allegations to the drug trafficking charges the couple already faces.

Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have been held behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since early January. U.S. forces seized them from their compound in Caracas during a pre-dawn military raid. Both have pleaded not guilty to the previous charges, and their trial is scheduled to begin in June 2027.

Repression, Electric Shocks, and Threats Against Children

The revised indictment asserts that Maduro authorized the use of torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system designed to use torture, arbitrary detention and violence as a means of repression against the political opposition, Prosecutors claim that thousands of Venezuelans were harassed, threatened, arrested, prosecuted, assaulted, tortured, or killed by individuals acting under the government Maduro controlled.

According to court documents, the abuses included electric shocks, beatings, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, and punishment cells. The indictment further alleges that Maduro personally signed off on torture methods and utilized psychological torture, including threatening to kill a prisoner’s child. Prosecutors specifically accuse Flores of playing a key role in developing the repressive system, ordering individuals to be tortured, and receiving updates on specific prisoners in order to protect family members involved in illegal activities.

The accusations also detail the alleged mistreatment of three unnamed U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela during Maduro's presidency. One American was punched, given electric shocks, and forced to eat his own vomit during eight months of imprisonment. Another was beaten severely enough to require a long hospital stay and had a gun shoved in his mouth. A third victim was handcuffed, hooded, and beaten every half an hour for two days, resulting in a permanent eye injury.

Deteriorating Health and Arguments for Bail

While prosecutors build their case, defense attorneys are fighting for Flores's release. During a court appearance on Thursday, her lawyers urged a judge to transfer her to house arrest under 24-hour guard due to declining health. Her defense team stated that she suffered permanent scarring when she was thrown against a wall or dresser during the January military raid that captured them.

Her lawyers reported that she has lost 25 pounds while imprisoned in Brooklyn and has been informed she might need heart surgery. They added that she suffers from lingering lightheadedness, dizziness, and shortness of breath, and likely suffered a minor heart attack in July. Prosecutors strongly opposed the bail request, arguing in a court filing that Flores poses an extreme risk of flight and danger to the public, though noting she has been taken to a local hospital for necessary medical care.

Attorneys for both defendants have asked the court to dismiss the case entirely, arguing that Maduro and Flores possess immunity as the leader and first lady of a foreign country. Meanwhile, the legal proceedings move forward toward a trial date set for June 2027, adding substantial weight to a prosecution that could carry life prison sentences.