Maduro and Flores Face New Torture Conspiracy Charge

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan added a conspiracy-to-commit-torture charge against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a superseding indictment unsealed Thursday. The indictment alleges that torture of detainees, including U.S. citizens, formed part of a system of repression intended to preserve their power. The allegations have not been proven in court. The new count adds to charges the couple already faced over alleged narcotics trafficking and weapons offenses. Both have pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges. They have not yet entered pleas to the torture-conspiracy count, and a court arraignment on it is expected at a later date, with no date specified in the reports. Prosecutors allege that Maduro and Flores helped oversee a system in which political opponents and other detainees were subjected to physical and psychological abuse. The indictment describes alleged methods including electric shocks, asphyxiation, beatings, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation and threats against victims’ families.