US files new torture charges against Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores

The United States 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 United States after they were snatched from their Caracas compound in an extraordinary US military raid in January. A new court filing shows both are now further charged with conspiracy to commit torture against victims, including US citizens, in Venezuelan detention -- with prosecutors detailing alleged waterboardings, rapes and beatings. Torture was allegedly used to "intimidate, harass, and neutralize their opponents, including through kidnappings." In a 2022 instance, Venezuelan authorities allegedly tortured an American who they accused of plotting to assassinate Maduro. "That torture included electric shock to arms, legs, and genitals; asphyxiation; beatings; deprivation of food and water; and forced injections of a substance that caused (the victim) to experience seizures," the filing states. During his 2013-2026 presidency, rights groups widely accused Maduro of using political repression to clin...