Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are expected to face new charges in the United States over allegations surrounding the torture of American citizens detained in Venezuela during Maduro’s rule.
Prosecutors in New York are reportedly preparing to bring additional charges against Maduro and Flores in connection with the alleged mistreatment of more than a dozen Americans who were held in Venezuelan government custody in recent years.
According to people familiar with the investigation, an announcement could come as soon as Thursday.
The new allegations reportedly focus on claims that American detainees were subjected to torture and other forms of abuse while being held in Venezuelan prisons. Investigators are also considering charges against several other individuals allegedly involved in the mistreatment of the Americans.
Maduro and Flores are currently being held in New York following their capture during a U.S. military operation in Caracas in January. Both have pleaded not guilty to existing charges, including narcoterrorism conspiracy, and are being detained without bail.
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Flores is expected to appear in court on Thursday, where her lawyer is expected to request that she be transferred to house arrest while awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Maduro’s legal team has challenged the legality of his arrest and argued that the former Venezuelan president should be protected by immunity because the alleged conduct occurred while he was serving as head of state.
U.S. prosecutors have rejected that position, noting that the Venezuelan government itself is not seeking immunity on Maduro’s behalf.
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Americans Describe Alleged Torture
The latest investigation is linked to the detention of numerous U.S. citizens by the Maduro government, with American officials and human rights advocates accusing Venezuelan authorities of using some detainees as political bargaining tools.
Several former detainees have publicly described harsh treatment during their imprisonment.
Matthew Heath, a former U.S. Marine, and Osman Khan, who were released in a prisoner exchange in October 2022, alleged in a lawsuit that they endured waterboarding, electric shocks, threats of sexual assault, forced use of mind-altering drugs and prolonged periods of solitary confinement.
Heath also reportedly attempted suicide while in detention.
Another group of Americans affected were the so-called “CITGO Six” — six U.S. oil executives who travelled to Venezuela in 2017 and were subsequently detained for almost five years.
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In lawsuits filed against their employer, Citgo, several members of the group, including Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Jose Zambrano and Jose Luis Zambrano, alleged that they experienced torture and extremely harsh conditions while imprisoned.
UN Report Raised Alarm Over Venezuelan Detention Centre
Many of the detained Americans were held at Venezuela’s General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence, known as DGCIM, a facility that has previously been the subject of international human-rights investigations.
A United Nations report accused the DGCIM of being responsible for arbitrary detentions, ill-treatment and torture of political opponents and their relatives.
The report said investigators had documented practices including electric shocks, suffocation with plastic bags, waterboarding, beatings, sexual violence, deprivation of food and water, stress positions and exposure to extreme temperatures.
According to the UN findings, such methods were allegedly used to extract information and confessions, intimidate detainees and punish those in custody.
New Legal Battle Ahead
The expected charges would add another significant legal challenge for Maduro and Flores as they prepare to face trial in the United States.
The development could also bring renewed attention to the treatment of American citizens detained in Venezuela and to allegations of human-rights abuses committed during Maduro’s years in power.
CNN reported that it had contacted lawyers representing Maduro and Flores for comment on the latest allegations.
The new charges, if formally announced, are expected to intensify the ongoing legal proceedings against the former Venezuelan leader and his wife in New York.
