Maduro and Flores dispute additional charges in New York
· BehindLines newsroom
On Thursday, 15 October, Nicolás Maduro appeared with his wife, Cilia Flores, before a federal court in New York, following the addition of torture-related charges. Both dispute the allegations. BBC and France 24 coverage reports not-guilty pleas: the hearing was not a ruling that the alleged acts had been proved.
The former Venezuelan leader and his wife have been held in the United States since their capture in a US operation in January. They already faced proceedings involving, among other matters, drug trafficking. The expanded indictment alleges a system of repression for which prosecutors seek to hold them responsible.
Allegations and defence arguments
According to the two outlets, US authorities allege that political opponents and American citizens suffered violence in detention facilities in Venezuela. These are assertions made by the prosecution. Attributing them and retaining their alleged status prevents an account of the case from presenting disputed claims as judicial findings.
Maduro rejects the document's contents, and Flores also maintains her innocence. Their lawyers have raised immunity arguments based on the positions they held and have challenged the proceedings. The fact that lawyers advance an argument does not mean a court has accepted it.
What this hearing changes
The appearance provides a formal response to the additional charges, without deciding the evidence supporting them. The reports consulted still place the trial in June 2027. That timing should be checked again before it is presented as a settled court calendar.
Three questions therefore remain separate: how the immunity arguments are addressed, exactly which allegations are being pursued and what evidence will ultimately be considered at trial. No conviction on the new charges is reported here.
That distinction also matters for people mentioned in the case. Reporting a prosecution means explaining what is alleged and contested, without adding identifying details about victims or anticipating the outcome.