Maduro and wife plead not guilty to new torture charges

Summary

Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to new torture-related charges in a US court on Thursday. Maduro rejected the allegations as false, and Channel NewsAsia reports that Flores said she was completely innocent. The Guardian and the South China Morning Post report that a rewritten indictment accuses them of leading a state-sponsored campaign of repression that tortured scores of victims, including three Americans.

Timeline

1. Al Jazeera

   15 Oct 2026, 16:04 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera reports that Maduro pleaded not guilty to US conspiracy-to-torture charges.

2. South China Morning Post

   15 Oct 2026, 16:32 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports that Maduro called the torture allegations false in court and that the rewritten indictment accuses him and Cilia Flores of leading a state-sponsored campaign of repression.

3. The Guardian

   15 Oct 2026, 16:38 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that Maduro called the allegations false in a New York court and that the rewritten indictment accuses him and Flores of leading a campaign of torture against scores of victims, including three Americans.

4. BBC

   15 Oct 2026, 16:52 UTCSource ↗

   The BBC reports that Maduro pleaded not guilty to new torture-related charges in New York and said, "I reject this document entirely."

5. Channel NewsAsia

   15 Oct 2026, 21:21 UTCSource ↗

   Channel NewsAsia reports that Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty, with Maduro calling the charges false accusations and Flores saying she was completely innocent.