Maduro faces torture charges

U.S. authorities have unsealed a new indictment charging former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with torture and other crimes. The charges add to existing drug trafficking allegations he was already facing.

Maduro and wife detained since January

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been held in New York since early January when forces seized them from their Caracas home in a middle-of-the-night raid. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Flores seeks release on health grounds

Cilia Flores, sixty-nine, was scheduled for court Thursday where her lawyers urged a judge to free her from jail and place her under house arrest due to heart problems. She has lost twenty-five pounds while imprisoned.

Prosecutors oppose bail for Flores

Prosecutors opposed Flores' release, arguing she poses an extreme risk of flight and danger to the public. They noted she has already been taken from jail to receive hospital treatment when needed.

“extreme risk of flight and danger to the public”