The United States has issued a sharp condemnation of the Venezuelan government following the death of opposition figure Alfredo Díaz in state custody, characterizing the incident as emblematic of the “vile nature” of President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
Díaz, a 56-year-old former governor of Nueva Esparta state, died under contested circumstances while detained at El Helicoide prison in Caracas. While Venezuelan authorities attribute his death to apparent heart attack complications, human rights organizations and opposition groups maintain he perished in his prison cell after enduring more than a year of arbitrary detention under harsh conditions.
The deceased politician was initially apprehended in 2024 alongside numerous opposition figures who challenged the legitimacy of that year’s presidential election. International observers widely dismissed the electoral process as neither free nor fair, despite Maduro’s government-controlled election council declaring victory. Díaz faced charges of “incitement to hatred” and “terrorism” for questioning the official election results.
Alfredo Romero, president of Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal, revealed Díaz had been held in solitary confinement with severely restricted visitation rights—only one meeting with his daughter throughout his entire incarceration. This case marks the 17th death among political prisoners since 2014 according to human rights documentation.
Prominent opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, currently in hiding to avoid arrest, characterized Díaz’s death as part of “an alarming and painful chain of deaths of political prisoners” within Venezuela’s post-election repression context. Her planned absence from the Nobel ceremony in Oslo underscores the ongoing political persecution.
This incident exacerbates already heightened tensions between the Trump administration and Maduro’s government. The United States has intensified its military presence in the region while conducting lethal strikes against vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking. President Trump has personally accused Maduro of leading regional drug cartels and threatened potential military intervention “by land.”
Venezuela has responded with military mobilization, swearing in over 5,600 new soldiers simultaneously in what defense officials termed a response to American “threats.” Simultaneously, Maduro’s government continues diplomatic outreach, announcing resumed Turkish Airlines flights following coordination with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan—a development occurring ironically on the same day as Díaz’s death and the mass military induction.