Death of Alfredo DĂaz in Custody
Alfredo DĂaz, a 56-year-old Venezuelan opposition figure, died while in custody at El Helicoide prison in Caracas.
The Venezuelan government reported that DĂaz showed signs of a heart attack and died on Saturday after being transported to a hospital.
Human rights organizations and opposition groups stated that DĂaz died in his prison cell.
He had been held for over a year.
Detention Context
DĂaz was detained in 2024 after challenging the results of that year's presidential election.
Venezuela's government-controlled election council declared Nicolás Maduro the winner. Opposition tallies indicated their candidate had won.
Electors broadly contested the election results.
DĂaz, the former governor of Nueva Esparta state, faced accusations of "incitement to hatred" and "terrorism" for questioning the election outcome.
Reactions to DĂaz's Death
The US criticized the Venezuelan government, with the State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs stating that DĂaz had been "arbitrarily detained" in a "torture centre."
Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal raised concerns regarding conditions for political prisoners.
Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, stated DĂaz had been imprisoned for a year in solitary confinement and received only one visit from his daughter. He also noted 17 political prisoner deaths in the country since 2014.
Opposition groups, including leader MarĂa Corina Machado, the Democratic Unitary Platform, and DĂaz's party, Democratic Action (AD), issued condemnations of his detention and death.
Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is expected to be absent from the award ceremony as Venezuela's attorney general stated she would be considered a "fugitive" if she traveled to Norway.
US-Venezuela Diplomatic and Military Tensions
DĂaz's death occurs amid heightened tensions between the US and Venezuela.
The US has increased its military presence in the region, conducting air strikes on vessels suspected of drug smuggling, resulting in over 80 fatalities.
US President Donald Trump has accused President Maduro of leading a drug cartel and of releasing prisoners and individuals from mental institutions into the US.
The US has designated two Venezuelan groups, Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles, as terrorist organizations.
President Maduro has accused the US of using drug enforcement as a pretext to remove his government and gain access to Venezuela's oil reserves.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has stated US strikes represent an attempt to "dominate" Latin America.
The US has deployed a significant naval force and thousands of troops to the region.
The Venezuelan army recently inducted over 5,600 soldiers, citing US "threats" as a reason.
Simultaneously, the Venezuelan government announced an agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resume Turkish Airlines flights between the two countries. These flights had been suspended following a US warning of "heightened military activity."