Two American citizens filed a lawsuit against Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, accusing the dictator of leading a “criminal enterprise” that uses U.S. citizens for negotiations.
The lawsuit, reported by the Associated Press, claims the “kidnapping, torture and ransoming of American citizens was part of a continuous and systematic scheme to coerce the United States government into policy concessions, the end of an oil embargo, and prisoner swaps.”
The filing alleges that Maduro’s officers have subjected Americans to waterboarding, electrocution, threats of rape, mind-altering drugs, and a small cell called “El Tigrito.”
Other defendants include Maduro’s defense ministry, attorney general, interior minister, and state-run companies.
One of the plaintiffs, former U.S. Marine Corporal Matthew Heath, was arrested in Venezuela in 2020 after crossing the border from Columbia. He sought take a boat ride to Aruba, as air travel was shut down from the COVID-19 pandemic. Heath was charged with terrorism after finding weapons and a satellite phone. Maduro claimed he was conducting surveillance operations on oil refineries on behalf of then-President Donald Trump, the AP explained.
Osman Khan, the other plaintiff, was detained in Venezuela in 2022 after entering the country with his Venezuelan girlfriend and her father. They crossed the border on a motorized canoe, as instructed by the woman’s brother, a Venezuelan national guardsman. Khan was charged with terrorism and human trafficking.
The U.S. government believed both men were wrongfully detained. They were released in October 2022 in exchange for First Lady Cilia Flores’ two nephews, who were imprisoned on drug trafficking convictions.
Similar lawsuits against Maduro have been successful for Americans.
