Maduro pleads not guilty to new torture-related charges in New York

What the report says

Venezuela’s former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in a federal court in New York and entered not-guilty pleas to newly added charges of conspiracy to commit torture, according to BBC World News. Maduro told the court, through a translator, that he rejected the document presented against him. Flores also denied the allegations. Judge Alvin Hellerstein then entered not-guilty pleas on their behalf.

The latest indictment, filed last week, expands on earlier US accusations that had already included narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offenses. Prosecutors now allege that Maduro and Flores helped create and sustain a system of repression that led to killings, harassment and torture of opponents in Venezuela. The filing says the alleged abuse included electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation and psychological abuse.

BBC World News reported that Maduro and Flores were taken to New York after a January US military raid and remain in jail while awaiting trial, which is scheduled for June 2027. Both have asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing that Maduro should be protected by sovereign immunity as the leader of a foreign state. Their lawyers say the US arrest was unlawful.

More broadly, the case reflects long-running tensions between Washington and Caracas. US authorities have previously accused Maduro and associates of links to drug trafficking networks, while Maduro has said the charges are politically motivated. The allegations remain contested and are subject to the ongoing criminal case.