Unlike Bush or Cheney, US Charges Abducted Nicolás Maduro With Torture

Former US President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and officials in their administration were never prosecuted for the torture that was infamously part of their global War on Terror, but the United States on Thursday hit deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with a conspiracy to commit torture charge.

The couple has spent months in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since being abducted from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in early January by American forces, at the direction of US President Donald Trump—who is now controlling the South American country's oil industry. They have pleaded not guilty to previous federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Their joint trial in the Southern District of New York is scheduled for June.

As CNN previewed late Wednesday, the superseding indictment released Thursday alleges that, "to undermine Venezuelan democracy and entrench themselves in power," the couple and other leaders "presided over a system of repression that relied on violence against political opposition, arbitrary detention, and the torture of detainees, including United States citizens."

"That torture included electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture, such as threats to harm and kill victims' families, including children," the filing says. Maduro, now 63, "presided over this system of repression and torture, commanded the law enforcement and military units and officers responsible for committing torture, ordered that particular individuals be illegally detained and tortured, and received updates on the torture of specific prisoners."

CNN noted that "Maduro's lawyer is challenging the legality of the arrest and argues the former president should have immunity since the alleged conduct occurred while he was in office. The Venezuelan government is not joining in claiming immunity on his behalf, according to the prosecution."

The updated indictment also claims that Flores, a 69-year-old former National Assembly president and attorney general, "helped develop this system of repression and ordered that individuals be tortured to protect her family members' illegal activities."

As Trump carries out a murderous bombing campaign against boats allegedly trafficking drugs that experts have denounced as blatantly unlawful, US Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote on social media Thursday that "these additional charges reflect the dedication of this administration to delivering justice for the victims of torture, narcoterrorism, and organized crime."

According to The Associated Press, "A message seeking comment was sent to Maduro's lawyer; Flores was in court for a previously scheduled hearing, where her attorney said he hadn’t yet had time to review the new allegations."

At that hearing, her attorney sought to move her from the Brooklyn jail to house arrest, citing health issues. However, US District Court Senior Judge Alvin Hellerstein, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, denied that request, determining that Flores was a flight risk.

Meanwhile, Cheney died last year, at the age of 84, and 80-year-old Bush recently marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks with a new series of paintings. Shortly before that, in late August, the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit dismissed a historic verdict against military contractor CACI Premier Technology for torture at Abu Ghraib in Iraq.