Venezuela’s Maduro denies US torture charges as ‘false accusations’

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty Thursday to new torture charges brought against the pair held in US custody since their extraordinary capture in January. They appeared at a New York court after prosecutors alleged they conspired to commit acts including waterboardings, rapes and beatings against victims, including American citizens, in Venezuelan detention. Maduro, who has previously called himself a "prisoner of war", slammed the latest charges as "false accusations" during a 35-minute hearing. Asked by the judge how he pleaded to the indictment against him, the 63-year-old responded, "I reject this document in its entirety." Flores, who wore the same brown prison jumpsuit as Maduro, said: "I am completely innocent, I am not guilty." According to prosecutors, the couple used torture to "intimidate, harass and neutralise their opponents, including through kidnappings". Maduro "presided over" a system of repression and torture, while Flores helped him to develop it, according to a charging document. In one 2022 instance, Venezuelan authorities allegedly tortured an American who they accused of plotting to assassinate Maduro. "That torture included electric shock to arms, legs, and genitals; asphyxiation; beatings; deprivation of food and water; and forced injections of a substance that caused (the victim) to experience seizures," a court filing states. During his 2013-2026 presidency, rights groups widely accused Maduro of using political repression to cling to power. Maduro and Flores already face drug trafficking and firearms charges in the United States after they were snatched from their Caracas compound in a US military raid. US prosecutors claim that Maduro used state power to protect and promote illegal drug smuggling, and that he allied himself with cartels to ship tons of cocaine into the United States. Both are slated for a trial in New York next June and are being held in a Brooklyn jail. The pair have appealed to have the charges against them dismissed, claiming they have immunity as president and first lady of a sovereign country. Since Maduro's capture, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has governed Venezuela as interim leader under intense pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration. She has notably ushered through reforms to open Venezuela's prized oil sector to international investment, and signed a massive deal providing US control over a large portion of the country's reserves. Also this month, a US judge denied a request by Flores to be moved from jail to private home detention in New York to help her address health problems. Her son-in-law had earlier told AFP that Flores was suffering from a "prolapsed" heart, a condition that, in rare, severe cases, can cause heart failure.