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Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores plead not guilty to new torture charges in New York court
Overview
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in a New York federal court to plead not guilty to new US charges alleging conspiracy to commit torture. The couple, captured during a US military raid in January, previously faced narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges. Their lawyers are arguing for the case to be dismissed based on sovereign immunity, and their trial is scheduled for June 2027.
Key points
- Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores appeared in a New York court on Thursday to plead not guilty to new charges of conspiracy to commit torture.
- US prosecutors allege the couple maintained a violent system of repression involving thousands of deaths, harassment, and torture methods such as electric shock and asphyxiation.
- The couple was captured in January during a US military raid and is being held in a Brooklyn detention center.
- Maduro and Flores's legal teams argue that they qualify for sovereign immunity and that the US intervention was illegal.
- Their trial is currently scheduled to begin in June 2027.