Maduro, Wife Plead Not Guilty to New US Torture Conspiracy Charges

Venezuela’s former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have pleaded not guilty to new US charges of conspiracy to commit torture during a court appearance in New York on Thursday. Maduro rejected the allegations as false, while Flores also maintained her innocence. The couple, who were captured during a US military raid in January and remain detained in Brooklyn, face accusations including the use of electric shocks, asphyxiation, forced nudity and psychological torture against specific individuals. They have also challenged the case on grounds of sovereign immunity, while their trial is scheduled for June 2027. The new charges add to existing allegations of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offences, which they also deny.

Written by News Room