Maduro hit with fresh torture charges

Prosecutors accused former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Thursday of orchestrating the torture of people held in his regime's custody, piling onto the narcoterrorism charges they already face. The big picture: The charges add new fuel to the historic prosecution seeking to hold the strongman-turned-prisoner accountable for alleged crimes against Americans and alleged abuse of power. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty in January to drug- and weapon-related charges. They have been held in the U.S. since Maduro's stunning capture from Caracas earlier this year. Driving the news: Maduro "authorized the use of torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system designed to use torture, arbitrary detention, and violence as a means of repression against the political opposition," a superseding indictment filed in the Southern District of New York alleged. This is a breaking news story and wi'l be updated.

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