NewzFederal prosecutors alleged Maduro "presided over this system of repression and torture" and his wife, Cilia Flores, is accused of helping him develop it. Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro (right) and his wife, Cilia Flores, are slated for trial in New York next June and are currently being held in a Brooklyn jail. (EPA Images pic)NEW YORK: The US on Thursday filed new torture charges against ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, bolstering a mounting criminal case against the pair held in US custody.Maduro and Flores already face drug trafficking and firearms charges in the US after they were snatched from their Caracas compound in an extraordinary US military raid in January.A court filing made public Thursday shows both are now additionally charged with conspiracy to commit torture, stating that they "inflicted severe physical and mental pain and suffering".The alleged goal was to "repress and punish political opposition, silence dissent and perceived dissent, preserve and protect the power and authority of the members of the conspiracy, and intimidate, harass, and neutralise their opponents, including through kidnappings".Prosecutors detail apparent instances of unidentified victims, including US citizens, being shocked with electric wires, waterboarded and beaten while in Venezuelan detention.Maduro and Flores are slated for a trial in New York next June and are currently being held in a Brooklyn jail.
Ousted Venezuelan president and Cilia Flores have been in jail in New York since early JanuaryThe deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted for alleged conspiracy to commit torture, according to Manhattan federal court papers unsealed on Thursday.The superseding indictment was unsealed shortly before Flores appeared at court in her ongoing push for pre-trial release – which was denied by Judge Alvin Hellerstein. Maduro and Flores have been held in a New York City jail since early January.
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