Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and wife face new charges

Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been charged by US authorities with conspiracy to commit torture in a new superseding indictment.Maduro and Flores, who were previously charged with participating in a cocaine importation conspiracy, now face allegations of human rights abuses during his time as president. The pair have been behind bars in New York since early January, after US forces dramatically seized them from their Caracas home in a middle-of-the-night raid. Image: Cilia Flores and Nicolas Maduro in 2025. Pic: Andres Gonzalez/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images Both have pleaded not guilty in the criminal case first brought years ago against them and numerous alleged co-conspirators.Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, had already been facing potential life prison sentences if convicted - their trial is scheduled for 1 June 2027. Their attorneys had asked for the case to be dismissed on the grounds that they have immunity as the leader and first lady of a foreign country.The new charges stem from accusations that they tortured political opponents to retain their grip on power in ‌the oil-rich South American country. In one instance, prosecutors said M...