Federal prosecutors in the United States have expanded their legal case against Venezuela’s former president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, by filing new charges that include conspiracy to commit torture. The unsealed court documents detail allegations that the couple oversaw a state apparatus of violent repression designed to protect their political standing.

The updated indictment, made public on Thursday, adds these severe accusations to existing federal counts of weapons offenses and drug trafficking. Both defendants have previously entered pleas denying the earlier charges. Mr. Maduro, aged 63, and Mrs. Flores, aged 69, have remained incarcerated at a Brooklyn detention facility since American military forces captured them during a surprise operation in Caracas this past January.

According to the legal filing, the administration relied on systematic violence, arbitrary arrests, and severe abuse to maintain control. The document specifically highlights the mistreatment of United States citizens detained inside the South American nation during Mr. Maduro's tenure. Prosecutors allege the methods of abuse featured electric shocks, sexual assault, forced starvation, prolonged solitary confinement, and psychological intimidation, including threats directed at the families and children of captives.

The prosecution also outlines a direct role for Mrs. Flores in directing the apparatus. Court papers assert that she actively participated in establishing the repressive framework, ordered specific acts of torture, and requested progress reports on individual prisoners. The indictment claims her actions were partly intended to shield relatives involved in illicit enterprises from accountability.

These formal accusations align closely with long-standing documentation compiled by human rights organizations and testimonies from individuals who survived imprisonment in Venezuela. Former detainees have previously described enduring extended isolation, arbitrary capture, and harsh conditions without communication permitted with the outside world.

The legal proceedings are moving forward with a trial date currently scheduled for June of next year. Both defendants will face the combined set of federal allegations in a New York courtroom as the case progresses.

Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.