Maduro pleads not guilty to new torture-related charges in New York

Fonte da imagem, REUTERS/Jane RosenbergLegenda da imagem, O ex‑presidente venezuelano Nicolas Maduro e sua esposa, Cilia Flores, são vistos em um tribunal federal em Nova York em julho.

• Published15 October 2026, 17:52 BST.
• Venezuela's ex-leader Nicolás Maduro charged with conspiracy to commit torturePublished8 October.

Venezuela's former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in court on Thursday to plead not guilty to new charges of conspiracy to commit torture.

O governo dos EUA inicialmente acusou Maduro de narco-terrorismo, tráfico de drogas e crimes relacionados a armas, antes de adicionar novas acusações contra ele e Flores na semana passada.

Maduro and Flores were captured in January during a US military raid, after which they were taken to New York, where they remain in jail.

O casal alegou não culpado às acusações e ambos argumentaram que o caso deve ser julgado fora de causa com base no fato de que se qualificam para imunidade soberana.

O julgamento está programado para junho de 2027.

In a new indictment last week, government prosecutors alleged Maduro and Flores "created and maintained a violent system of repression" that saw "thousands of Venezuelans" killed, harassed, and tortured.

Nicolas Maduro denied the new charges brought against him by the US government, telling a court on Thursday he denied the "false accusations and false testimony against me.

I reject this document entirely," Maduro said in Spanish through a translator.

O juiz Alvin Hellerstein interrompeu Maduro e declarou que o tribunal entraria com uma defesa de inocente para Maduro.

I am completely innocent. I am not guilty," Flores said through a translator.

Maduro and Flores wore beige jail uniforms and both appear to have lost weight during their detention in Brooklyn.

os supostos métodos de tortura incluíam “choque elétrico, asfixia, estupro, nudez forçada, isolamento prolongado, fome, celdas de punição e tortura psicológica”, diz a acusação.

The US also accused Maduro of authorising the use of torture "against specific individuals" and alleges US citizens were tortured under this system.

Prosecutors already have accused Maduro, his wife and son, and their accomplices of engaging in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and partnering with cartels designated as terrorist groups.

Maduro previously called such charges a tool to further "imperial" plans for getting access to Venezuela's rich oil reserves.

He and his wife's lawyers have argued that Maduro is the leader of a sovereign country and therefore immune from prosecution. They contend the US taking him by force is illegal.

Flores peticionou sem sucesso a um juiz para que fosse liberada sob fiança enquanto aguardava julgamento, alegando ter problemas cardíacos e outras questões de saúde enquanto estava detida no notório Metropolitan Detention Center em Brooklyn.

I thought I was going to die': Jailed Venezuelan activist details brutality of prison life.

UN receives reports alleging torture of detainees in Venezuela continues.