US Prosecutors Add Torture Conspiracy Charges Against Venezuela's Maduro and Wife

Federal prosecutors in the United States unveiled fresh charges on Thursday against Venezuela's deposed former president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, accusing the couple of conspiring to torture detainees — including American citizens — during his years in power. The new allegations come on top of existing drug-trafficking and weapons charges that both defendants have consistently denied.

The superseding indictment, unsealed in a New York federal court, alleges that Maduro and Flores entrenched themselves in power by overseeing a system of repression built on violence against political opponents, arbitrary detentions and the abuse of prisoners. Prosecutors say that system of repression deliberately extended to US citizens held in Venezuelan custody.

Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, were taken into US custody in January following a pre-dawn raid by American forces on their compound in Caracas. Since then, they have been held at a detention centre in Brooklyn, where a judge ruled on Thursday that Flores must remain after rejecting her request to be transferred to house arrest.

According to court documents, the alleged torture methods included electric shocks, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, confinement in punishment cells and psychological abuse. Prosecutors further claim that psychological torture involved threats to kill the families of victims, including children.

Speaking outside the courthouse on Thursday, prosecutors characterised the alleged conduct as "the epitome of corruption," saying it had caused significant harm to Americans. They argued that all of the abuses were carried out to ensure that Maduro and Flores retained their grip on power.

The indictment also accuses Flores of playing a central role in building the repressive apparatus, alleging that she ordered individuals to be tortured and even received updates on the abuse of specific prisoners. According to the court document, she did so in order to shield family members who were involved in illegal activities.

Barry J Pollack, Maduro's attorney, said his client rejects the new charges and looks forward to his day in court. Prosecutors additionally announced on Thursday that Flores had been added to an earlier narco-terrorism charge. A trial for both defendants is scheduled to begin in June 2027.

The allegations in the superseding indictment echo accounts long provided by former prisoners released from Venezuelan detention. Javier Tarazona, who heads a human rights group in Venezuela, told BBC Mundo earlier this year that he and his brother were held in a tiny punishment cell for 46 days after being arbitrarily arrested. Another former inmate, Ángel Godoy, described being kept in isolation for months and prevented from contacting his wife, who was left unaware of his whereabouts.

The charges relate specifically to abuses alleged to have occurred while Maduro was in power. After his ouster, his vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as interim leader with the backing of the Trump administration. While hundreds of political prisoners have been freed under an amnesty law since she took office, more than 300 remain behind bars, according to the prisoners' rights group Foro Penal.

The human rights situation in Venezuela has continued to draw international scrutiny even after Maduro's removal. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned in March that his office had received reports alleging that detainees were still being tortured following the seizure of Maduro. He said that "structural and systemic human rights concerns" had persisted in the country despite the change in leadership.

Venezuela's foreign minister at the time accused Türk of parroting the agenda of "extremists" by citing those allegations, underscoring the political sensitivity of the torture claims both inside Venezuela and abroad.

The new charges significantly broaden the legal exposure facing Maduro and Flores, who were already confronting serious federal accusations in the United States. The case is likely to keep international attention focused on Venezuela's treatment of political prisoners and on the conduct of its former leadership, even as the country navigates a fragile transition under interim leader Rodríguez.

For the families of detainees, both those freed and those still held, the indictment represents a rare moment of official accountability. Human rights advocates argue that documenting abuses is essential to any lasting reckoning, while defence lawyers for the couple insist the accusations are unfounded and that their clients will contest them in court.

With the trial still more than a year away, the legal battle is expected to unfold slowly, offering prosecutors time to build their case and defence attorneys time to challenge the evidence. In the meantime, Maduro and Flores will remain in custody in Brooklyn, their fate now tied to a prosecution that combines drug-trafficking, weapons and torture conspiracy charges in a single, high-profile proceeding.