Worldconflict
Maduro Pleads Not Guilty to New Torture Charges in New York
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in a New York federal court to plead not guilty to newly added charges of conspiracy to commit torture. The couple was captured in January during a US military raid and detained in Brooklyn. Prosecutors allege that Maduro and Flores maintained a violent system of repression involving thousands of victims, utilizing severe methods including electric shock and asphyxiation. The defense argues that Maduro holds sovereign immunity and that his capture was illegal.