Federal prosecutors in New York are expected to file new criminal charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The charges centre on the alleged torture and systematic abuse of American citizens held in Venezuelan state custody.
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The upcoming indictment expands the existing federal case in Manhattan. It focuses on the wrongful detention and mistreatment of more than a dozen US nationals during Maduro’s time in office. Investigators have also discussed charging other figures implicated in the abuses, which occurred mainly in facilities run by the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM).
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UN findings on DGCIM abuses
A United Nations investigation previously documented that DGCIM personnel routinely subjected political detainees to electric shocks, waterboarding, asphyxiation with plastic bags, severe beatings, prolonged solitary confinement and extreme temperatures. The aim, the investigation found, was to extract confessions and suppress opposition.
Former detainees’ accounts
Former American detainees have described brutal physical and psychological abuse in Caracas. Matthew Heath, a US Marine veteran, and Osman Khan were both freed in a 2022 prisoner exchange. In later legal actions, they detailed electrocution, waterboarding, forced ingestion of mind-altering substances and sexual threats.
Members of the “CITGO 6”, a group of American energy executives lured to Venezuela in 2017 and held for nearly five years, have also documented severe physical decline and abuse in state detention.
Existing case and legal challenge
Maduro and Flores were captured in Caracas during a US military operation in January and taken to New York, where they have been held without bail. Both have pleaded not guilty to earlier charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracy.
Maduro’s defence team has challenged the legality of his arrest, arguing that his actions as a former head of state are protected by sovereign immunity. Federal prosecutors have noted, however, that Venezuela’s current authorities have not asserted immunity on his behalf.
The expected filing comes as Flores prepares for a court appearance, where her lawyers are asking for a transfer to house arrest ahead of trial.
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