Venezuela recognizes the death of the imprisoned opposition figure

Venezuela acknowledged on Sunday that an opposition figure had died while in custody, as the Trump administration accused Caracas of being “evil” and the South American country’s military swore in thousands of new soldiers amid mounting US military pressure.

Leftist President Nicolas Maduro called for increased military recruitment after the United States deployed a fleet of warships and the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean under the guise of fighting drug trafficking.

Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns,” which it designated a terrorist organization last month.

Under President Donald Trump, US forces have carried out deadly strikes on more than 20 alleged drug-smuggling vessels, killing at least 87 people.

But the death of former opposition governor Alfredo Diaz, who rights groups say died in prison on Saturday after being detained on charges of terrorism and incitement, has reinforced the human rights dimension of the crisis.

“The death of Venezuelan political prisoner Alfredo Diaz, who was arbitrarily held in Maduro’s El Helicoide torture facility, is yet another reminder of the sordid nature of the Maduro criminal regime,” the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said in a post on X.

Venezuela’s interior and justice ministries said in a statement that Diaz suffered a heart attack on Saturday and efforts to return him to a hospital were unsuccessful.

887 political prisoners

With the United States mounting military pressure on the oil-producing nation and Maduro claiming the US deployment aims to topple him and seize the country’s oil reserves, Venezuela’s military sworn in 5,600 troops on Saturday.

“Under no circumstances will we allow an invasion by an imperialist power,” Colonel Gabriel Rendon said Saturday during a ceremony at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, in Caracas.

According to official figures, Venezuela has about 200,000 soldiers and an additional 200,000 police. Diaz, reportedly 56, was at least the sixth opposition member to die in prison since November 2024.

They were arrested after protests sparked by disputed elections last July, when Maduro won a third term despite allegations of fraud.