Maduro pleads not guilty to new US torture charges

· Security · Venezuela · United States

Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty in a New York court to new torture charges brought by US authorities, which Maduro rejected as "false accusations." The rewritten drug trafficking indictment accuses the deposed president and his wife of leading a campaign of torture. The couple has been held in a New York jail since their capture in early January. Flores declared, "I am completely innocent."

Why it matters：The case highlights US efforts to prosecute foreign leaders and could inflame tensions with Venezuela amid a regional migration crisis.

Key points

  • Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to new torture charges in New York
  • Maduro rejected the allegations as "false accusations"
  • The couple has been held in a New York jail since early January

Sources (original reporting)

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