US authorities charged former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Thursday with conspiring to torture Venezuelan citizens to remain in power. The indictment alleges that thousands of Venezuelans were “harassed, threatened, arrested, prosecuted, assaulted, tortured, or killed” by people acting on behalf of Maduro’s government. The alleged abuse included electric shocks, beatings and asphyxiation.
Maduro is also accused of approving torture methods and personally threatening to kill a prisoner’s child “as a form of psychological torture.” The indictment alleges that the torture victims included three US citizens, who were not named in the court documents. The new indictment adds to the legal pressure on Maduro, who already faces charges of conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the US. He now also faces allegations of human rights abuses committed during his presidency.
Maduro and Flores, have been detained in New York since January, after US forces captured them during an overnight raid on their Caracas home. Both have pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges and could face life imprisonment if convicted. Maduro has also been under investigation by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his crackdown on political opponents.
He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
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