The families of five slain Venezuelan men are suing former President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in federal court for allegedly ordering their killings in violation of US law.<\/p>\n
Maduro had the Venezuelan National Police \u2014 known as the Special Action Forces, or FAES \u2014 execute the young men between 2017 and 2021, the plaintiffs say. They are suing under the federal Torture Victim Protection Act for the torture they experienced \u201cin connection with the execution of their family,\u201d as well as for the five extrajudicial killings, said the complaint<\/a> filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.<\/p>\n Maduro has been in federal custody since January and is being is held inpending trial on narcoterrorism charges.<\/p>\n The families allege that although the purported aim of the Venezuelan security force was to reduce drug trafficking and suppress gangs, Maduro used it \u201cas a political instrument and mechanism of social control to violently suppress dissent, terrorize low-income neighborhoods, and eliminate political opposition.\u201d They allege FAES is \u201cwidely considered a \u2018death squad\u2019 or \u2018extermination group.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The anonymous plaintiffs describe horrifying scenes in which FAES officers stormed their way into their homes, forced their sons and brothers to their knees and murdered them. John Doe 4 and his second son, for example, \u201clive today in persistent and significant fear for their lives\u201d as they remain in Venezuela and continue to experience \u201cserious security concerns\u201d despite Maduro\u2019s ouster, the complaint says.<\/p>\n They are suing in the US due to there being \u201cno adequate alternative remedy available to Plaintiffs in Venezuela for the claims asserted here.\u201d <\/p>\n The creators of FAES \u201cremain in power today as high-ranking officials in Venezuela, and Plaintiffs face ongoing fear that their pursuit of local remedies would result in further reprisal against them,\u201d the complaint says.<\/p>\n Maduro\u2019s private counsel, Barry J. Pollack of Harris Trzaskoma LLP, didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n McDermott Will & Schulte represents the plaintiffs.<\/p>\n