Five families of Venezuelan men have filed a civil lawsuit in the United States against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of overseeing a police unit that allegedly carried out extrajudicial killings and torture during his tenure. The complaint, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, seeks compensatory and punitive damages under the Torture Victim Protection Act, a federal law that allows civil claims for torture and extrajudicial killings committed under foreign government authority.
The lawsuit alleges that Maduro created Venezuela's Special Action Forces, known as FAES, in 2017 as a special tactical unit within the National Bolivarian Police. According to the complaint, Maduro exercised direct command over FAES as it conducted a campaign of extrajudicial killings between 2017 and 2021. The families argue that FAES officers routinely entered homes before dawn, wearing black clothing and face coverings, separated young men from their families, forced them to their knees, executed them, and then staged crime scenes to make it appear the victims had resisted authority. The lawsuit also accuses officers of looting homes, planting weapons, and transporting victims to hospitals after they had already died in an effort to conceal the killings.
The complaint details five specific incidents involving six victims between 2017 and 2021. It further alleges that FAES officers tortured three relatives by beating, detaining, or forcing them to witness the killings before denying them justice through Venezuela's judicial system. The families contend that prosecutors in Venezuela either refused to pursue investigations or failed to hold senior officials accountable, leaving them without an effective legal remedy in their home country. The lawsuit cites reports from the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and the U.S. State Department that document widespread human rights abuses by the FAES unit.
This civil case opens a second legal front for Maduro in the United States. He is already awaiting trial on federal drug trafficking and weapons charges in the same New York courthouse. Maduro has pleaded not guilty in that criminal case and has previously described himself as a prisoner of war. The complaint notes that venue is proper in the Eastern District of New York because Maduro is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been held since his arrest in 2023.
Maduro served as Venezuela's president from 2013 until 2026, according to the complaint. The lawsuit alleges that he publicly defended FAES despite criticism from the United Nations and other human rights organizations. The Torture Victim Protection Act, enacted in 1991, allows U.S. courts to hear civil claims for torture and extrajudicial killings committed under the authority of a foreign government, provided the defendant is present in the United States. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs, Maduro's lawyer Barry Pollack, and Amnesty International did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by victims of alleged human rights abuses in Venezuela to seek accountability through U.S. courts. The families argue that the Venezuelan judicial system has failed to provide justice, forcing them to turn to international legal mechanisms. The lawsuit also underscores the broader context of Maduro's legal troubles in the United States, where he faces serious criminal charges that could result in a lengthy prison sentence if convicted. The civil case, while separate, adds to the legal pressure on the former leader as he remains in U.S. custody.