US charges former Venezuela president Maduro with conspiracy to torture opponents

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores wave after his swearing-in ceremony for a third term at the National Assembly in Caracas (AP photo) US authorities have added torture allegations to the criminal case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of helping oversee a system of abuse aimed at silencing political opponents and keeping his government in power.The revised indictment, unsealed on Thursday, charges Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiring to commit torture. Maduro was already facing US charges over an alleged conspiracy to send cocaine into the country.The new allegations accuse Maduro of authorising torture, arbitrary detention and violence against opponents during his time as president. The indictment says thousands of Venezuelans were “harassed, threatened, arrested, prosecuted, assaulted, tortured, or killed” by people acting at the direction of his government.It alleges that methods of abuse included electric shocks, beatings and asphyxiation. In one case, Maduro allegedly threatened to have a prisoner's child killed “as a form of psychological torture.”Three US citizens among alleged victimsThe indictment det...