Venezuelan ex‑leader Maduro faces new US torture conspiracy charges

Nicolás Maduro in courtroom
Nicolás Maduro was seized by US forces and detained in Brooklyn.

Prosecutors in the United States have charged former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture, a new addition to the already serious hop‑on charges of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering.

Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have been held in a Brooklyn detention centre since January, following a pre‑dawn raid on their Caracas compound in which US forces apprehended the duo.

The allegations claim the couple orchestrated systematic torture of American citizens who were held in Venezuela during Maduro’s presidency—a tactic long condemned by Venezuelan human‑rights groups and former prisoners.

Both face a trial slated for June 2027, while they maintain their innocence and stand at the centre of a high‑profile international legal showdown.