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Nicolás Maduro tells New York court new torture allegations are ‘false’
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- Nicolás Maduro appeared in a New York court to face a rewritten drug trafficking indictment accusing him and his wife, Cilia Flores, of leading a state-sponsored torture campaign, which Maduro denied as "false accusations."
- Judge Alvin K Hellerstein entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Maduro and Flores after Maduro criticized the indictment and refused to enter a plea himself.
- The indictment alleges Maduro personally recommended torture methods and threatened victims, while Flores, a former attorney general, is accused of ordering specific acts of torture.
- Maduro and Flores were seized in a US military raid in January and previously pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges, with their attorneys arguing for dismissal based on immunity as foreign leaders.
- The case is notable as prosecution of foreign officials for torture in the US is rare, and the trial date may be moved from June 1 to June 14.
