Maduro, Flores Plead Not Guilty to New Torture Charges in New York

What changed

Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty in a New York federal court on 15 October 2026 to newly added charges of conspiracy to commit torture. US prosecutors added the charges last week to an existing case involving narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related allegations; the couple remains detained in Brooklyn, with trial scheduled for June 2027.

Why it matters

The case now turns on more than alleged drug and weapons offenses. The indictment describes a system of repression involving killings, harassment and torture, including electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, isolation, starvation and psychological torture.

Maduro and Flores deny the allegations and argue that Maduro’s position as Venezuela’s former leader gives them sovereign immunity. That challenge could shape whether the case proceeds before the evidence is tested at trial. For now, both remain in jail, while Flores’s reported health problems add a separate question about whether her detention arrangements might change.

The near-term outlook is procedural rather than dramatic: the next major test is whether the court accepts the immunity argument, rejects it, or allows the prosecution to move toward the June 2027 trial.