New US indictment charges former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with torture

New York: Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been charged by US authorities with torture and other crimes in a new indictment unsealed Thursday that adds pressure on the ousted authoritarian leader already fighting drug trafficking offences.

Maduro, who was previously charged with participating in a conspiracy to send cocaine into the US, is now also facing allegations of human rights abuses during his reign as president of the oil-rich South American nation.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been behind bars in New York since early January when forces seized them from their Caracas home in a middle-of-the-night raid.


Both have pleaded not guilty in the criminal case first brought years ago against them and numerous alleged co-conspirators. They had already been facing potential life prison sentences if convicted.