U.S. indictment adds torture conspiracy charge against Maduro

A newly unsealed U.S. indictment adds a conspiracy-to-torture charge against Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to their existing federal case, alleging that they participated in abuses aimed at keeping Maduro in power. The revised indictment, unsealed Thursday, alleges that Maduro and Flores conspired to torture political opponents and others held in Venezuelan state custody. Prosecutors describe beatings and electric shocks among the alleged abuses. The claims are allegations in the indictment and have not been established by a court. The couple had already faced federal charges related to cocaine importation and weapons offenses. Both have pleaded not guilty, and their attorneys have argued that the case should be dismissed on immunity grounds. A trial is scheduled for June 1, 2027. The indictment describes an alleged 2013 case involving a Venezuelan military officer suspected of planning a coup. Prosecutors allege Maduro ordered the officer’s arrest and that military counterintelligence personnel shocked the officer with a live wire and suspended the person by the hands and feet during questioning. The indictment also alleges that three U.S.