Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty to torture indictment

Venezuelan former President Nicolas Maduro appeared in court on Thursday, where he rejected newly unsealed torture allegations against him and his wife Cilia Flores.

He said the new indictment represented "false accusations" against him.

Maduro was combative in court as he was asked to enter a plea to the charges, condemning allegations of torture as "false accusations and false testimony." Ultimately, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein interjected to declare that "a plea of not guilty will be entered on behalf of Mr. Maduro."

Flores told the judge through the Spanish interpreter: "I am completely innocent. I am not guilty."

The court appearance was the latest for the pair, who are currently in US custody in New York City, now eight months since they were seized from their Caracas home by the US military in a nighttime raid.

The new torture charges against the couple have been added to the drug-trafficking charges they previously faced.

Maduro and Flores' trial is set to begin June 14, 2027, according to a schedule approved by the judge Thursday.

What are the torture charges?

Maduro and his wife have been accused of leading a state-sponsored repression campaign that tortured scores of victims, including three Americans, during his presidency from 2013 to 2026.

They are said to have committed human rights violations as part of a scheme to hold on to power.

Security forces have been accused of torturing prisoners with electric shocks, beatings and asphyxiation at Maduro's behest.

Maduro stands accused of personally recommending torture methods, receiving updates on specific victims' treatment, and threatening to kill one prisoner's child as a form of psychological torture.

For her part, Cilia Flores has been accused of helping develop the repressive system and ordering the torture of some specific people, the indictment alleges.

Human rights groups have long accused Venezuelan officials of torturing detainees, but the US indictment marks the first time that Maduro could be held to account over the allegations.

Maudro has been under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over allegations of crimes against humanity, tied to his crackdown on opponents, but the court has not served him with a warrant.

Torture is considered a crime under international law and can be prosecuted outside of the nation where the abuse occurred and regardless of the victims' nationality.

But in the US, the prosecution of foreign officials is exceedingly rare. The only recent cases include the son of Liberian President Charles Taylor, Russians responsible for war crimes in Ukraine and a former prison warden in Bashar Assad's Syria.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery