NEW YORK, United States – Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denied new allegations that he oversaw a state-sponsored torture campaign, calling them “false accusations and false testimony” during a court appearance in the United States.
Maduro appeared in court on Thursday alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, to face a revised indictment expanding the case against them beyond the original drug-trafficking charges to include allegations of torture and political repression.
Both were brought into court shackled at the ankles and followed proceedings through headphones carrying translations of the hearing.
Maduro twice declined to enter a plea when asked by the judge, instead denouncing the allegations through a courtroom interpreter. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein eventually directed that a not-guilty plea be entered on his behalf.
Flores, who said she had read the revised indictment in Spanish, denied the allegations against her.
“I am completely innocent. I am not guilty,” she told the court through an interpreter.
Revised Indictment Details Alleged Torture Campaign
According to the revised indictment, Maduro allegedly oversaw a system in which detainees were beaten, asphyxiated and subjected to electric shocks. Prosecutors also accuse him of recommending torture methods, receiving updates on the treatment of specific victims and threatening to kill a prisoner’s child as a form of psychological torture.
Flores, 70, a former attorney general, is accused of helping develop the alleged system of repression and ordering the torture of specific individuals.
The indictment alleges that the campaign affected scores of victims, including three Americans. The accusations remain allegations to be tested in court.
Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said when the charges were announced last week that his client denied them and looked forward to his day in court.
Pollack agreed to the government’s request to postpone the trial, but described the new timetable as “very aggressive” given the expanded allegations. He said he hoped the defence would be able to meet the schedule.
Trial Set For June 14, 2027
The judge approved a new trial date of June 14, 2027, two weeks later than previously scheduled.
Maduro and Flores were seized from their home in Caracas during a US military raid in January and subsequently brought to the United States to face charges.
The couple had earlier pleaded not guilty in a separate US drug case, which alleges they conspired to flood the United States with cocaine. Their lawyers have argued that the case should be dismissed on immunity grounds, citing Maduro’s former position as president and Flores’s role as first lady.
The revised indictment extends the allegations to the period beginning in 2013, when Maduro succeeded his political mentor, Hugo Chávez, as Venezuela’s president.
Maduro Also Faces International Scrutiny
Maduro has been under investigation by the International Criminal Court for years over allegations of crimes against humanity linked to his government’s crackdown on opponents. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
Torture is prohibited under international law, and certain cases can be prosecuted outside the country where the alleged abuse occurred, depending on the applicable legal framework and jurisdiction.
The prosecution of foreign officials in US courts over alleged abuses committed abroad is rare, making the case against Maduro and Flores an unusual legal proceeding.
The couple are scheduled to return to court for another pretrial hearing on December 17 as preparations continue for the June 2027 trial.
