Maduro and Flores plead not guilty to US torture conspiracy charges in New York

Background Nicolás Maduro, the deposed president of Venezuela, and his wife Cilia Flores were seized by US forces during a night‑time raid on their Caracas residence in January, an operation ordered by former President Donald Trump. Following their capture, the pair were flown to New York, where they were placed in prison uniforms and shackled at the ankles for their court appearance.

Court proceedings On Thursday, a Manhattan federal court presided over by Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein entered not‑guilty pleas on behalf of both individuals. The pleas were entered after the couple, still in restraints, addressed the court, with Maduro describing the indictment as entirely false and Flores asserting her complete innocence. The judge postponed the start of the trial by two weeks, setting a new date of 14 June 2027 to accommodate the additional charges.

Allegations The revised indictment expands the earlier drug‑trafficking case, adding accusations that Maduro and Flores conspired to oversee a state‑sponsored system of torture aimed at political opponents and military personnel. Prosecutors allege that in 2014 Maduro ordered officials to abduct military figures to extract information, instructing them to apply harsher pressure when subjects resisted. According to the indictment, Flores supported this approach and rejected an alternative strategy involving infiltration of dissenting ranks. The charges claim the campaign affected scores of victims, including three American citizens, though neither Maduro nor Flores is accused of personally committing acts of torture.

Potential penalties If convicted on all counts, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 50 years in prison. The indictment also references prior charges to which the couple previously pleaded not guilty, relating to the abuse of power to facilitate drug trafficking.

Diplomatic context Relations between the United States and Venezuela have been strained throughout Maduro’s 13‑year rule, with successive US administrations imposing sanctions on senior officials and state‑run enterprises over alleged human‑rights abuses, corruption, and election‑rigging. Maduro has repeatedly accused the United States of seeking his removal to gain control of Venezuela’s oil resources. The current legal proceedings occur against this backdrop of longstanding tension.

The case remains ongoing, with both defendants maintaining that the allegations are unfounded and awaiting further judicial developments in the upcoming trial.