US Prepares New Charges Against Maduro for Torture of Americans
Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, arrested in the United States since January, may face new charges for torturing American citizens.
TL;DR
- Federal prosecutors in the U.S. are preparing new criminal charges against Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.
- The charges relate to the alleged torture of American citizens detained in Venezuela.
- Over a dozen Americans were allegedly unjustly detained and tortured by Venezuelan authorities.
- Maduro and Flores have been in custody in New York since January and face existing charges of drug trafficking.
- Among the detained Americans were five oil executives and two former U.S. Army Special Forces members, later released in prisoner swaps.
- The U.S. government has previously accused Maduro's regime of using U.S. citizens as leverage.
- Maduro's lawyer and the Department of Justice have not yet commented on the potential new charges.
- Cilia Flores has a hearing scheduled for Thursday regarding a request for pre-trial release due to health reasons.