U.S. prosecutors could expand the case against Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores with charges involving the torture of American citizens

U.S. prosecutors are considering bringing new charges against former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for their alleged involvement in abuses committed against American citizens detained in Venezuela, according to CNN and sources familiar with the investigation.

Investigators are also considering indicting other individuals believed to have participated in torturing detainees. The new charges would expand the criminal case opened in New York, where Maduro and Flores are already on trial for conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and other offenses. Both have pleaded not guilty and are being held without the possibility of bail.

More than 12 American citizens have been detained in Venezuela in recent years. Former detainees, including Matthew Heath and Osman Khan, have described waterboarding, electrocution, threats of sexual violence, and periods of solitary confinement. The “CITGO 6,” six executives of the oil company, were arrested in 2017 and likewise reported torture and harsh detention conditions.

A UN report accused Venezuela’s military intelligence service, DGCIM, of arbitrary detentions, torture, and ill-treatment. Meanwhile, Maduro’s lawyers are challenging the legality of his capture and invoking immunity for acts allegedly committed during his term in office.