US charges Venezuela's Maduro, wife with conspiracy to commit torture

US authorities on Thursday announced new charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, accusing them of conspiracy to commit torture over the alleged abuse of more than a dozen Americans held in Venezuelan government custody

“This case is the result of incredible cooperation among law enforcement agencies, and it shows that we and our law enforcement partners will make exceptional efforts to investigate and prosecute human rights abuses, narco-terrorism, and narcotics trafficking around the world,” Jamie McDonald, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement.

The new charges, which come in addition to drug and weapons charges, were announced by FBI Director Kash Patel following an investigation done with interagency partners.

According to the new indictment, Maduro faces one count of conspiracy to commit torture, while his wife Cilia Flores de Maduro faces one count of conspiracy to commit torture and one count of narcoterrorism, Patel said.

The indictment alleges that the Maduro government subjected more than a dozen US citizens to torture while they were held in Venezuelan custody. The alleged abuse included the use of drugs, electrocution, and sexual assault, according to the FBI.

The new charges follow a US operation in January that resulted in Maduro and Flores being arrested in Venezuela and transferred to the US.

Maduro and Flores had previously faced charges related to alleged drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Both have pleaded not guilty.

The allegations concern US citizens who were detained in Venezuela during Maduro’s rule. Among them were six executives of Citgo, the US-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil company.

The executives were arrested in 2017 and spent years in Venezuelan custody before being released in a 2022 prisoner exchange.

Maduro and Flores remain in US custody pending further proceedings in the case.