Former Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife face new charges in the US — for torturing opposition figures

Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been indicted in the United States on new criminal charges of torturing political opponents and American citizens to maintain their power. They face up to 50 years in prison.

Reuters writes about this.

The indictment, filed on October 8 in Manhattan federal court, alleges that in 2013, Maduro ordered the arrest of a Venezuelan officer he suspected of plotting a coup. Military counterintelligence officers then shocked the detainee about 20 times with electric shocks and suspended him by his arms and legs.

Another case involves a US citizen who was detained in Venezuela in 2022 and accused of plotting to assassinate Maduro. According to prosecutors, military counterintelligence officers beat the American and applied electric shocks to his limbs and genitals during interrogation.

Reuters notes that US authorities and human rights groups have previously accused Venezuelan officials of torturing prisoners. However, this is the first time that criminal charges have been brought directly against Maduro for such actions.

The October 8 hearing also considered a motion to release 69-year-old Celia Flores from custody on health grounds. Her lawyers asked that she be released due to a cardiac procedure and allowed to recover in a private home under 24-hour security.

Prosecutors opposed the release, saying Flores could flee, pose a danger to society or influence witnesses. The judge agreed that the evidence against her appeared compelling and that her condition during the hearing did not indicate a serious deterioration in her health.

Before becoming first lady, Flores served as attorney general and head of Venezuelaʼs National Assembly. A US investigation alleges that she received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from a major drug trafficker.

Maduro and his wife have been held in custody at the Brooklyn Detention Center since January 2026. The couple are charged with drug trafficking. Their trial is scheduled for June 1, 2027.

US operation in Venezuela

On the night of January 3, the United States, acting on the orders of President Donald Trump, struck several military installations in Caracas, Venezuela. The Venezuelan Minister of the Interior claimed that 100 people were killed.

Then-President Nicolás Maduro declared a state of emergency across the country. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, were later arrested and deported to the United States. Both were charged with narcoterrorism, cocaine importation, illegal possession of machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy against the United States.

The Supreme Court of Venezuela appointed Delcy Rodriguez as the interim head of state. And on the evening of January 3, Nicolas Maduro was taken to the federal detention center, the Metropolitan Detention Center, in New York.

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