Nicol\u00e1s Maduro is facing a new reckoning in a New York courtroom \u2014 this time over allegations that Americans were tortured inside his regime\u2019s prisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Federal prosecutors charged the ousted Venezuelan leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture Thursday, expanding the case against the couple months after U.S. forces captured them in Venezuela.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The revised indictment describes a system of repression allegedly used to keep Maduro in power, with prisoners subjected to electric shocks, starvation and threats against their families, The Wall Street Journal reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The allegations include an American detained in January 2022 who was allegedly beaten, electrocuted and forcibly injected with substances that caused seizures. Officers also forced him to eat his own vomit, according to the indictment cited by CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another American arrested in January 2025 was allegedly hooded, handcuffed and repeatedly beaten over two days, suffering a permanent eye injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The filing follows Mediaite\u2019s Wednesday coverage of CNN\u2019s report that new charges were imminent. That report also highlighted allegations from former prisoners Matthew Heath, a Marine veteran, and Osman Khan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both men alleged in a lawsuit that they endured waterboarding, electrocution, threats of sexual assault, drugging and solitary confinement before their release in an October 2022 prisoner swap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prosecutors allege Maduro ordered unlawful detention and torture and received updates about specific prisoners. Flores allegedly helped build the repressive system and ordered torture to protect relatives\u2019 illicit activities, El Pa\u00eds reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maduro and Flores remain detained in New York after their January capture. Both pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At his initial court appearance, Maduro insisted he was \u201cstill president of my country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am innocent, I am not guilty,\u201d he declared, according to Mediaite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His lawyers are challenging the legality of his capture and claiming immunity for conduct while he held office. Meanwhile, investigators have discussed charging additional people over their alleged involvement in torturing Americans, CNN reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nicol\u00e1s Maduro is facing a new reckoning in a New York courtroom \u2014 this time over allegations that Americans were tortured inside his regime\u2019s prisons. Federal prosecutors charged the ousted Venezuelan leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture Thursday, expanding the case against the couple months after U.S. forces captured them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[26],"tags":[2016,70,401,2014,2451,147],"class_list":["post-12941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-cilia-flores","tag-crime","tag-news","tag-nicolas-maduro-2","tag-torture","tag-venezuela"],"yoast_head":"\n