The United States has condemned the Maduro regime over the death of a jailed opposition figure, labeling it a "clear indication of the despicable character" of President Nicolás Maduro's regime.
The political prisoner died in his prison cell at the El Helicoide detention center in Caracas, where he had been detained for over a year, according to advocacy organizations and political opponents.
The Venezuelan government stated that the 56-year-old exhibited symptoms of a myocardial infarction and was rushed to a medical facility, where he succumbed on Saturday.
This latest statement from the United States is part of an intensifying war of words between the American government and President Maduro, who has accused Washington of pursuing regime change.
In the last several months, the US has boosted its military presence in the region and has conducted a number of fatal operations on ships it asserts have been used for moving drugs.
US President Donald Trump has accused Maduro directly of being the chief of one of the country's cartels—an accusation the Venezuelan president strongly rejects—and has warned of armed intervention "via a land invasion".
"Alfredo Díaz had been 'arbitrarily detained' in a 'facility for mistreatment'," said the American diplomatic office for the region.
He was detained in that year after participating with numerous dissidents to dispute the outcome of that year's national vote.
Venezuela's state-run election council proclaimed Maduro the winner, notwithstanding opposition tallies showing their contender had triumphed by a wide margin.
The electoral process were widely dismissed on the international stage as lacking in credibility, and ignited protests throughout the country.
The former governor, who was in charge of the island state, was charged of "promoting hatred" and "extremism" for questioning Maduro's claim to victory.
National human rights group Foro Penal has raised concerns over declining situations for detained dissidents in the Latin American nation.
"Another detained dissident has passed away in Venezuelan detention centers. He had been imprisoned for a year, in isolation," wrote Alfredo Romero, the organisation's director, on a social media platform.
He noted that he had only been permitted one meeting from his child during the entire length of his incarceration. He further stated that over a dozen detained dissidents have passed away in the nation since 2014.
Dissident factions have also condemned the administration over the death of the former governor.
María Corina Machado, a well-known dissident figure who was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize but who remains in concealment to avoid detention, said that Díaz's death was part of a pattern.
"Unfortunately, it contributes to an disturbing and heartbreaking sequence of deaths of detained dissidents imprisoned in the aftermath of the electoral crackdown," she wrote.
The opposition alliance declared that Díaz "passed away unfairly".
Díaz's own political party, Democratic Action (AD), also honored the former governor, stating he had been unjustly detained without fair treatment and had remained in conditions "which violated his basic rights".
Tensions between the US and Venezuela have become ever more tense over what Trump has described as actions to curb the flow of drugs and immigrants into the US.
Maduro has conversely claimed the US of using its drug enforcement efforts as an excuse to overthrow his regime and get its hands on Venezuela's enormous oil reserves.
The US has also positioned a sizable naval force—its largest deployment in the region in many years—along with many troops.
In a related action, the Venezuelan army reportedly inducted more than 5,600 troops in a mass ceremony on Saturday, in reaction to what defense officials described as US "intimidation".
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