Maduro and Flores plead not guilty as US torture case is expanded

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have pleaded not guilty in Manhattan to a new US indictment accusing them of conspiring to torture political opponents. The hearing came after prosecutors expanded an existing federal case that had already included drug-trafficking and weapons allegations. The judge also pushed the trial start back by two weeks, to 14 June 2027, because of the added charges.

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According to the supplied material, the pair were brought to New York after a January US military raid ordered by President Donald Trump. They appeared in prison uniforms and were shackled at the ankles when they entered their pleas at Manhattan federal court. Maduro said the accusations were false and rejected the indictment in full, while Flores told the court: "I am completely innocent.

I am not guilty." The judge entered not-guilty pleas on their behalf after cutting Maduro off as he spoke. Prosecutors with the Manhattan US Attorney's office say Maduro directed Venezuelan officials to torture opposition politicians and military personnel accused of plotting against him in order to keep power. The indictment also alleges that Flores agreed with a plan to kidnap military personnel in 2014 to extract information about possible dissidents, and dismissed an alternative proposal to infiltrate the ranks.

The pair are not accused of personally carrying out torture, but each could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 50 years in prison if convicted on all charges. The case is significant because it adds torture allegations to a long-running US criminal case against a former head of state and his spouse. It also deepens an already tense relationship between Washington and Caracas, which has been strained for years by sanctions, accusations of corruption and election-rigging, and disputes over Venezuela's political direction.

The supplied material says successive US administrations imposed sanctions on top Venezuelan officials and state companies, while Maduro has accused the United States of seeking his removal to gain greater control of Venezuela's natural resources. The new indictment also broadens the legal and political stakes beyond the earlier narcotics case. The allegations described in the filing include beatings, electrocutions and threats against detainees' family members, alongside claims that torture and arbitrary detention were used against people seen as disloyal or as a threat to illegal narcotics activity.

Maduro, who became president in 2013, has long faced opposition challenges to his rule, and the case now places those disputes inside a US criminal proceeding with unusually serious charges. What remains unclear is how the defence will respond to the expanded indictment and what further evidence prosecutors may present before the delayed trial date. It is also not clear whether the new charges will affect any wider diplomatic or legal manoeuvres between the two countries.

For now, the case is set to continue in Manhattan, with the next major milestone now pushed into mid-2027.

Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have pleaded not guilty in a New York City courtroom to newly unsealed US charges alleging conspiracy to commit torture. The appearance on Thursday came after the pair were brought from Caracas to the United States in a military operation in January, according to the supplied material. The new indictment adds to earlier accusations already filed against them, making the case one of the most serious legal challenges yet brought by US prosecutors against the Venezuelan leader and his spouse.

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The latest charges were unsealed last week, and US Attorney Jamie McDonald said the couple had for more than two decades engaged in a conspiracy to commit torture, including against US citizens, alongside the narcotics and weapons offences already charged. The earlier counts included narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machineguns and destructive devices. Maduro had already appeared in court in January, when he said: "I am innocent.

I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," and described himself as having been kidnapped.

According to the indictment, Maduro and Flores oversaw a system of torture, arbitrary detention and violence used against people seen as disloyal or as a threat to illegal narcotics activity, as well as against political opponents. Prosecutors allege they specifically identified individuals to be targeted, asked for updates on torture, and suggested methods to use. The filing cites an instance in 2014 in which Maduro allegedly urged enforcers to work harder to extract information from detained military personnel, and another in which he is accused of suggesting sleep deprivation and pouring water on detainees.

The indictment also says abuses under his rule included beatings, electrocutions and threats against detainees' family members. The case matters because it combines allegations of torture with long-running US claims about drug trafficking and weapons offences involving a sitting foreign leader. Maduro became president of Venezuela in 2013, and his re-elections, most recently in 2024, have been repeatedly contested by opposition figures and outside monitors.

The new indictment also places the dispute in a wider legal and political context, with US prosecutors alleging that repression and detention were used not only for political control but also to support illegal narcotics activity. The supplied material says Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's vice president, has led Venezuela since his abduction in January. It also notes that the new charges were brought after a long period in which prosecutors say the alleged conduct continued for more than two decades.

The allegations are significant because they extend beyond the earlier narcotics case and directly accuse the pair of involvement in a broader system of abuse. That raises the stakes for any future legal proceedings and for already strained relations between Caracas and Washington. What remains unclear from the supplied material is how the case will proceed next in court, whether either defendant will seek to challenge the new indictment, and what further evidence prosecutors may present.

#NicolasMaduro #CiliaFlores #Manhattanfederalcourt #torturecharges #Venezuela