The US government has criticized the Venezuelan government over the death of a imprisoned opposition figure, labeling it a "stark reminder of the vile character" of President Nicolás Maduro's regime.
Alfredo Díaz died in his cell at the El Helicoide detention center in Caracas, where he had been detained for more than a year, according to advocacy organizations and dissident factions.
The Caracas administration reported that the 56-year-old showed indicators of a heart attack and was rushed to a hospital, where he passed away on the weekend.
This new criticism from the US is part of an intensifying diplomatic spat between the White House and President Maduro, who has alleged America of pursuing regime change.
In the last several months, the US has boosted its armed forces deployment in the area and has conducted a succession of deadly operations on ships it asserts have been used for moving illegal substances.
US President Donald Trump has accused Maduro directly of being the leader of one of the area's narco-trafficking organizations—an allegation the Venezuelan president vehemently denies—and has threatened military action "by land".
"The detainee had been 'arbitrarily detained' in a 'torture centre'," declared the US foreign policy division.
He was arrested in that year after joining several opposition figures to contest the outcome of that period's election for president.
Venezuela's government-controlled election council proclaimed Maduro the winner, notwithstanding figures from dissidents suggesting their candidate had triumphed by a wide margin.
The electoral process were broadly rejected on the global scene as flawed and unfair, and sparked unrest throughout the country.
The former governor, who led the Nueva Esparta state, was accused of "promoting hatred" and "terrorist acts" for disputing Maduro's claim to victory.
Venezuelan advocacy group Foro Penal has raised concerns over deteriorating conditions for detained dissidents in the Latin American nation.
"Yet another jailed opponent has passed away in Venezuelan jails. He had been incarcerated for a year, in segregation," wrote Alfredo Romero, the group's head, on a social network.
He added that Díaz had only been permitted one meeting from his family during the full duration of his detention. He also mentioned that over a dozen political prisoners have passed away in the nation since that year.
Dissident factions have also condemned the regime over the death of Díaz.
María Corina Machado, a well-known political rival who was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize but who is in hiding to avoid arrest, commented that Díaz's demise was part of a pattern.
"Tragically, it contributes to an alarming and difficult sequence of fatalities of political prisoners held in the context of the after the vote suppression," she posted.
The Democratic Unitary Platform said that the former governor "was an unjust death".
His own political party, Democratic Action (AD), also honored the former governor, noting he had been wrongly imprisoned without fair treatment and had been kept in situations "that should never have violated his basic rights".
Frictions between the US and Venezuela have become ever more tense over what Trump has called efforts to stem the influx of narcotics and migrants into the United States.
Maduro has for his part claimed the US of using its drug enforcement efforts as an justification to depose his regime and access Venezuela's enormous crude oil deposits.
The America has also stationed a large naval force—its biggest presence in the region in many years—along with thousands of military personnel.
In a related development, the Venezuelan military according to reports swore in more than 5,600 troops in a single event on Saturday, in answer to what military leaders termed US "intimidation".
A passionate writer and traveler sharing insights on personal growth and lifestyle from a UK perspective.
