Geopolitics · Friday, 16 October 2026
Maduro pleads not guilty to new torture conspiracy charges in New York court
Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty on Thursday to new charges of conspiring to commit torture, including against US citizens, US prosecutors said. The couple were taken from Caracas in a US military operation in January 2026, which Maduro has called a kidnapping, and already face charges of narco-terrorism and weapons possession. Their lawyers are seeking to have the case dismissed, arguing presidential and first-lady immunity.