Venezuela's ex-leader Nicolás Maduro charged with conspiracy to commit torture

Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been charged in a U.S. federal court with conspiracy to commit torture. These new charges, unsealed in Manhattan on Thursday, supplement existing narcoterrorism and weapons charges. The indictment alleges that Maduro and Flores presided over a violent system of repression involving the torture of political opponents and U.S. citizens to maintain their power. Both defendants, who have been in U.S. custody since a January military operation in Caracas, have pleaded not guilty. During the hearing, a judge denied a request for Flores to be moved to house arrest, rejecting arguments based on her health condition.

Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been charged in a U.S. federal court with conspiracy to commit torture. These new charges, unsealed in Manhattan on Thursday, supplement existing narcoterrorism and weapons charges. The indictment alleges that Maduro and Flores presided over a violent system of repression involving the torture of political opponents and U.S. citizens to maintain their power. Both defendants, who have been in U.S. custody since a January military operation in Caracas, have pleaded not guilty. During the hearing, a judge denied a request for Flores to be moved to house arrest, rejecting arguments based on her health condition.