US prosecutors charge Maduro and wife with torture of American detainees

U.S. prosecutors in New York have charged former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture. The new charges say the couple ordered the torture of more than a dozen American citizens held in Venezuelan prisons. Alleged methods include electric shocks, beatings, and simulated drowning. These charges are added to existing drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges the couple already face. Maduro and Flores were taken from their home in Caracas by U.S. military personnel in January and are now in U.S. custody. Both have pleaded not guilty. Their lawyers argue they have immunity as former leaders of a foreign country. The trial is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027.