US adds torture-conspiracy charge against Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores
In short
US authorities unveiled a new indictment on October 8 charging former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture. Prosecutors allege the abuse involved Venezuelan detainees and Americans; the couple had previously pleaded not guilty to drug-related charges.
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US authorities added a conspiracy-to-commit-torture charge against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a superseding indictment unveiled on October 8. The Justice Department said the indictment also included narcoterrorism, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons offenses. The new allegations concern people held in Venezuelan custody, including American citizens. [ 6 , 19 ]
Prosecutors allege Maduro authorised torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system that used detention and violence to repress political opponents, according to ABC News. The indictment also accuses Flores of helping develop that system. AP, in a report carried by PBS NewsHour, said prosecutors alleged that she ordered the torture of particular people. [ 19 , 20 ]
The allegations include electric shocks, beatings and asphyxiation, according to AP. US Attorney Jamie McDonald said thousands of Venezuelans and some Americans were tortured to keep Maduro and Flores in power. Those statements describe the prosecution's allegations; the reports do not describe a judgment on the new torture charge. [ 20 ]
AP said a request for comment had been sent to Maduro's lawyer, while Flores's attorney said he had not yet had time to review the new allegations. The couple previously pleaded not guilty in the US drug case. Their lawyers have asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing that they have immunity as the leader and first lady of a foreign country. [ 20 ]
CBS News reported that US forces took Maduro and Flores into custody in January and brought them to the United States to face charges. Reports published on October 7 had anticipated additional charges over alleged torture; the Justice Department's October 8 announcement confirmed that the superseding indictment had been unsealed. [ 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The indictment expands a US prosecution that already involved narcotics and weapons allegations. The couple's lawyers have sought dismissal on the grounds that they have immunity as a foreign country's leader and first lady, according to AP.
Key facts
- The Justice Department announced a superseding indictment charging Maduro and Flores with conspiracy to commit torture. [ 6 ]
- Prosecutors allege the torture involved American citizens and Venezuelans. [ 6 , 14 , 20 ]
- The couple pleaded not guilty in the earlier drug case. [ 3 , 4 , 20 ]
- AP reported that Flores's attorney had not yet had time to review the new allegations. [ 20 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The defence response to the new torture allegations. AP reported that Flores's attorney had not yet reviewed them and that a comment request had been sent to Maduro's lawyer.