In brief
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a New York federal court to plead not guilty to fresh accusations of conspiracy to commit torture. The United States charged them with setting up a violent system that allegedly caused thousands of Venezuelans to be killed, harassed, and tortured. They argue sovereign immunity protects them, while prosecutors highlight ties to narcotrafficking and cartel networks. The case fuels debate over the legality of extraditing heads of state and the limits of sovereign immunity in human‑rights violations.
In a highly‑publicised court hearing on Thursday, former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared before Judge Alvin Hellerstein to plead not guilty to fresh allegations of conspiracy to commit torture.
The United States first filed charges in 2025, accusing Maduro of narcotrafficking, weapons offences and later, in March, adding a "conspiracy to create and maintain a violent system of repression" that allegedly caused thousands of Venezuelans suffering.
Both defendants, who were seized in a U.S. military raid in January and are currently held in a Brooklyn federal jail, invoke sovereign immunity and argue that the charges are politically motivated.
Maduro denied the claims on the stand, calling the indictment "false" and insisting he was "completely innocent." Flores echoed the same stance, while prosecutors have also named the couple’s son and a network of alleged cartel accomplices.
The courtroom drama is part of a broader international debate over the legality of extraditing heads of state and the limits of sovereign immunity when human‑rights abuses are alleged.
