Venezuela: Former opposition Governor Alfredo Díaz dies in El Helicoide, one of Maduro's torture centers

Alfredo Díaz, 55, former governor of the state of Nueva Esparta and opposition leader of Acción Democrática (A.D.), died while detained at El Helicoide in the city of Caracas. 

Opponents and organizations claimed Saturday that he had gone for months without receiving medical attention, and they considered his death a direct consequence of the conditions of confinement imposed by the regime of Nicolás Maduro.

Díaz was arrested in November 2024 by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) in state of Portuguesa and remained for more than a year in this detention center described as "hell on earth," under conditions of isolation and with limited access to visitors.

Before being detained, the former governor criticized the regime's failure to share detailed results of the presidential election in July of last year and publicly condemned the electricity crisis that affected Nueva Esparta in November, which the government attributed to alleged attacks by the opposition.

"He died in one of Maduro's favorite prisons"

Elisa Trotta, former Venezuelan ambassador to Argentina, claimed on X that Díaz's death was a "slow killing" and recalled that there are already more than 10 political prisoners who have died in captivity since the July 2024 election.

"This barbarism must stop. The more than a thousand political prisoners must be freed, as Venezuela must be free. So much pain cannot continue to escalate," she added.

Opposition leaders such as the national head of Voluntad Popular, Leopoldo López said Díaz is a "victim of the dictatorship," noting on X that he had been requesting medical attention for months and was denied.

"To all Venezuelans: let us honor Alfredo and all victims. Never kneel before the dictatorship and never stop fighting for a free Venezuela," she added.

Antonio Ledezma, former mayor of Caracas, also commented on the death of the former governor. "They killed Alfredito!" Ledezma exclaimed on X.

"He died in one of Maduro's favorite prisons. And it hurts to say it: they killed him. They knew about his heart problems. They knew he needed urgent attention. And yet they denied him timely medical assistance. It was not a natural death: it was another silent execution by the regime," said the former mayor of Caracas.

"What more has to happen for the International Criminal Court to finally announce a ruling? What is that court for? How many more must fall for the world to understand that in Venezuela, systematic, continuous crimes are committed, and that every day a new life is claimed?" asked Ledezma on X.

Foro Penal: "Another political prisoner has died in a Venezuelan jail"

Venezuelan NGO Foro Penal said the death of Alfredo Díaz is another case of a political prisoner dying in custody of the Venezuelan state in El Helicoide. The organization held the Maduro regime directly responsible for the conditions of isolation and lack of medical attention suffered by Díaz.

"Another political prisoner has died in a Venezuelan jail. He had been imprisoned for a year, isolated. They only allowed one visit from his daughter. He was 55 years old. It is outrageous! The state is responsible for the health of the person in its custody," said Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, on X.

According to the latest tally from Foro Penal, there are 887 political prisoners in Venezuela, of whom 60 remain missing and 85 are foreign nationals. A significant portion of the arrests occurred after the 2024 presidential election, in which the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro's reelection despite continued allegations of fraud.