Report: US Invoked Rarely Used Law in Maduro Torture Charges
Are the torture charges against Maduro long-overdue justice for his victims or imperialist grandstanding by a country with its own torture record?
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Above: Posters supporting former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, outside the Moynihan Federal Courthouse in New York City, U.S., on Jul. 22. Image credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
The Facts
- Federal prosecutors invoked a rarely used law in bringing torture charges against former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, earlier this month, according to a new analysis published by Reuters on Wednesday.
- Prosecutors allege the couple presided over a system of repression from 1999 to 2025 in which detainees, including three Americans, faced electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, starvation and threats against their families.
- As a result, the pair are accused of violating Section 2340A of Title 18, U.S. Code, a law passed in 1994 that prohibits committing or attempting to commit torture outside the U.S. if the offender is either a U.S. citizen or is present on American soil.
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The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The torture charges against Maduro were long overdue. Between 1999 and 2025, he and his wife oversaw a repressive regime that tortured countless political adversaries and dissidents, including three U.S. citizens. Victims of that merciless machine deserve justice, which is why the administration is prosecuting for these crimes.
Establishment-critical narrative
These latest charges against Maduro and Flores are nothing short of a farce. It is beyond ironic that the U.S., a country that ran "advanced interrogation" programs at Guantanamo Bay for decades, is trying to grandstand on this issue. Regardless, it persists so it can destroy any rivals to its imperialist ambitions in South America.
