Key facts
- Nicolás Maduro has been sued in a US court by the families of five men allegedly killed by his security forces.
- The lawsuit alleges Maduro ordered extrajudicial killings by the Special Action Forces (FAES) between 2017 and 2020.
- The FAES, described as a 'death squad,' allegedly executed victims and fabricated resistance narratives.
- The families are seeking financial compensation from Maduro under the Torture Victim Protection Act.
- Maduro is already in a New York jail awaiting trial on drug trafficking charges.
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro faces a civil lawsuit in a US court over alleged extrajudicial killings. Filed in Brooklyn federal court, the 44-page complaint by the families of five men claims Maduro ordered his elite security force, the Special Action Forces (FAES), to execute the victims between 2017 and 2020. The lawsuit describes a pattern of state violence where FAES officers would separate men from their families and shoot them, later fabricating narratives of resistance. The complaint states FAES was widely considered a 'death squad' used to suppress dissent and eliminate opposition. The families, whose identities are protected, are seeking financial compensation under the United States' Torture Victim Protection Act. Maduro is currently incarcerated in a New York jail, awaiting trial on criminal charges of drug trafficking, including 'narco-terrorism' conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and declared himself a 'prisoner of war.' The FAES unit was dissolved in 2021 following human rights abuse complaints, including from the United Nations.