Maduro and wife plead not guilty to torture charges in New York

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in a New York City federal courtroom on Thursday to plead not guilty to new charges alleging they tortured U.S. citizens. The arraignment followed the issuance of a superseding indictment that adds torture counts to their existing charges of narcoterrorism for cocaine trafficking and machine-gun possession.

Court Proceedings and Pleas

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of both defendants. According to The Guardian, Maduro, who was shackled at the ankles, twice responded to the judge’s request to enter a plea by criticizing the indictment rather than stating a plea directly. He spoke through an interpreter, calling the allegations "false accusations and false testimony."

Maduro stated in court, "I reject this document in its entirety," according to the Washington Examiner. Flores, when asked to enter a plea, said through an interpreter, "I am completely innocent. I am not guilty."

The new torture charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. Maduro had previously pleaded not guilty to the initial charges in January, stating at that time, "I’m innocent. I’m not guilty. I am a decent man."

Allegations in the Superseding Indictment

The rewritten indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of leading a state-sponsored campaign of repression that tortured scores of victims, including three Americans. According to The Guardian, the document alleges that Maduro oversaw a violent torture system that beat, asphyxiated, and delivered electric shocks to victims. It further accuses him of personally recommending torture methods, receiving updates on specific victims’ treatment, and threatening to kill one prisoner’s child as a form of psychological torture.

Flores, a former attorney general, is alleged to have helped develop the repressive system and ordered the torture of specific individuals. The indictment covers allegations stretching back to 2013, when Maduro took over as president from Hugo Chávez.

Background and Trial Schedule

President Donald Trump ordered the capture of Maduro from Caracas in early January. The U.S. military operation, referred to by the Washington Examiner as Operation Absolute Resolve, lasted under three hours before bringing Maduro and Flores to the United States to face the U.S. Department of Justice. The couple is currently held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Maduro’s former Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, currently runs Venezuela. The case is under the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Judge Hellerstein has set a final pretrial conference for June 8, with the trial scheduled for June 14, 2027. Prosecutors noted during the hearing that lawyers on both sides requested the trial date be moved from June 1 to June 14.

Legal Context

Torture is a crime under international law and can be prosecuted outside the country where the abuse occurred, regardless of the victims' nationality. The Guardian notes that the prosecution of foreign officials in the U.S. is exceedingly rare, having occurred only a few times, including against the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, Russians responsible for war crimes in Ukraine, and a former prison warden in Bashar Assad’s Syria.

Maduro’s attorneys have argued that the case should be dismissed on immunity grounds because they were the leader and first lady of a foreign country. Maduro has also been under investigation by the International Criminal Court for years over allegations of crimes against humanity, which he has denied.

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Sources

• washingtonexaminer.com: Maduro pleads not guilty to torture charges
• theguardian.com: Nicolás Maduro tells New York court new torture allegations are ‘false’ | Nicolás Maduro | The Guardian

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.