Maduro and Cilia Flores Plead Not Guilty to New Torture Charges

The latest hearing concerns new torture allegations against Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Prosecutors say Maduro directed officials to torture politicians and military personnel accused of plotting against him, according to The Independent.

The allegations form part of a rewritten drug trafficking indictment against the couple, South China Morning Post reported. They are accusations, not findings of guilt.

On October 14, RT en Español - Noticias reported that US judicial authorities had set October 15 for Maduro and Flores to appear on the new charges.

On October 15, ABC reported that the couple were detained in the United States and were due before a judge in New York for the reading of those charges.

The hearing then took place. Maduro and Flores each pleaded not guilty to charges accusing them of torturing people to help them cling to power, according to ABCNews.com. Al Jazeera described the new charges as conspiracy to commit torture.

Maduro also rejected the allegations during his appearance, calling them false, South China Morning Post reported. The judge cut off his remarks rejecting the new torture charges, according to New York Post.

Both defendants have now entered not guilty pleas. That is the central change from the earlier reports, which described a hearing still to come. CNN Brasil confirmed that both denied the new accusations on October 15.

The supplied coverage gives no next hearing date or trial timetable. It also does not establish how the court will assess the prosecution's allegations or the defendants' denials.