U.S. prosecutors unveiled sweeping new criminal charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday, accusing him and his wife of heading a state-sponsored system of repression responsible for beating, asphyxiating, and delivering electric shocks to scores of victims, including several Americans.
The torture charges add to pressure on the ousted authoritarian leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were seized from their Caracas home by the U.S. military in January to face drug trafficking charges in New York.
The indictment claims Maduro suggested torture methods, sought and received updates on specific victims’ treatment, watched a video of a forced confession, and personally threatened the killing of one prisoner’s child “as a form of psychological torture.” On occasion, he would laugh after hearing about the abuse of prisoners, prosecutors allege.
Flores, a former attorney general, helped develop the repressive system and ordered the torture of some specific people, the indictment contends.
Maduro, who served as Venezuela’s president from 2013 until his capture in January, has been under investigation for years by the International Criminal Court over allegations of crimes against humanity, tied to his crackdown on opponents. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
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