Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores appeared in federal court in New York on Thursday to face charges of conspiracy to commit torture, adding to the legal challenges confronting the former Venezuelan leaders following their capture by U.S. forces in Caracas in January.

The new charges, filed last week, accuse Maduro and Flores of helping oversee a system of repression targeting political opponents and dissidents during Maduro's rule. Prosecutors allege that the campaign involved the imprisonment and torture of numerous victims, including several American citizens.

According to the allegations, victims were subjected to electric shocks, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells and psychological abuse, including threats against their families. The alleged conduct stretches back to 2013, when Maduro assumed leadership of Venezuela following the death of his predecessor, socialist dictator Hugo Chávez.

Maduro rejected the accusations during Thursday's hearing, initially delivering a lengthy response rather than directly entering a plea. He characterized the charges as false allegations supported by false testimony.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein interrupted Maduro and asked him directly whether he pleaded guilty or not guilty. After Maduro continued challenging the allegations, the judge indicated that a not guilty plea would be entered on his behalf.

Flores also pleaded not guilty, telling the court through a translator, "I am completely innocent. I am not guilty."

Maduro and Flores have remained detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since their January arrest. They are also facing separate drug-trafficking charges, with a trial in that case scheduled to begin in June 2027.

Maduro ruled Venezuela beginning in March 2013 after Chávez died from cancer. Chávez had publicly designated Maduro as his preferred successor in December 2012, cementing his position within the country's socialist political movement.

Flores held a prominent position within the regime as Maduro's wife and was given the title of "First Combatant." The couple's new legal troubles center on allegations that the government used state institutions and security forces to suppress political opposition during their time in power.

The torture charges represent a separate legal front from the drug-trafficking case and focus on alleged human rights abuses linked to the Venezuelan government's treatment of its opponents. The accusations have not been proven in court, and both defendants have denied wrongdoing.

Thursday's hearing marked another stage in the cases against the former Venezuelan leadership, as U.S. prosecutors pursue allegations involving both international drug trafficking and the alleged use of state power to carry out systematic abuses.