Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are facing a new federal charge accusing them of conspiring to commit torture, including against U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela.
A superseding indictment unsealed Thursday in the Southern District of New York adds the torture conspiracy charge to the narcotics trafficking and weapons offenses the couple already faced. Federal prosecutors allege the pair helped maintain a system of repression involving arbitrary detention, violence and torture during their years in power.
The indictment says the alleged abuse included electric shocks, beatings, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation and threats against detainees’ families. Prosecutors say Americans were among those subjected to the abuse.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said Maduro, Flores and other senior Venezuelan officials allegedly used violence and torture to suppress political opposition and remain in power.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department has been investigating the couple’s alleged crimes since their capture and arrest. “These additional charges … reflect the dedication of this Administration to delivering justice,” Blanche said.
The new indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of participating in a broader system that prosecutors say allowed senior Venezuelan officials to abuse political opponents and other detainees. One alleged U.S. victim was reportedly beaten, deprived of food and water, subjected to simulated drowning and shocked with electricity while in Venezuelan custody.
Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollack, denied the allegations and said the former president looks forward to defending himself in court.
The torture charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The existing narcoterrorism charge carries a 20-year mandatory minimum and a possible life sentence, while the cocaine importation and weapons charges also carry severe penalties.
Maduro and Flores were captured earlier this year and are being held in federal custody in New York. Flores appeared in court Thursday, where a judge rejected her request for release to home confinement, citing concerns that she could flee, according to Reuters.
The allegations in the indictment have not been proven in court, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted.