Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been charged in a New York federal court with conspiring to commit torture. The indictment, announced Thursday, alleges the couple targeted political opponents for torture as a means of consolidating and maintaining their grip on power.
This new count of conspiracy to commit torture is in addition to the drug trafficking charges Maduro and Flores already faced. Both individuals have entered pleas of not guilty to the drug-related allegations and have remained in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since their arrest. Their trial is currently scheduled to begin on June 1.
The addition of the torture charge further expands an ongoing criminal case against the couple. A superseding indictment previously accused Maduro of collaborating with cartel organizations to transport cocaine through Venezuela and into the United States.
This is a developing story.
Venezuela’s political crisis continues to escalate. How will the US justify these extraterritorial prosecutions now?
Torture charges alongside narco-trafficking? I never thought it could get worse than the initial allegations. What does this mean for the June trial date?
This adds yet another grave layer to the existing drug charges. The scope of alleged crimes is truly staggering and deeply concerning.