US calls death of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader vile

US officials on Saturday condemned the death of Venezuelan opposition leader Alfredo Díaz in custody, calling it a “reminder of the vile nature” of President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

Díaz, 56, died in his cell at the El Helicoide prison in Caracas after more than a year of solitary confinement. The Venezuelan government said he suffered a heart attack and was taken to hospital, where he died.

The US State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs described his detention as “arbitrary” and the prison as a “torture centre”, according to a statement released on X.

Human‑rights group Foro Penal confirmed that Díaz was among at least 17 political prisoners who have died in Venezuela since 2014, and that he received only one visit from his daughter during his incarceration.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who remains in hiding, said the death “adds to an alarming and painful chain of deaths of political prisoners”. The Democratic Unitary Platform, an opposition alliance, called the death “unjust”.

The incident comes as US‑Venezuela relations deteriorate. President Donald Trump has ramped up naval deployments in the Caribbean and authorized air strikes on vessels he alleges are used for drug trafficking, killing more than 80 people in recent weeks.

Trump has also designated two Venezuelan drug cartels as terrorist organisations and accused Maduro of leading the “Cartel de los Soles”. Maduro retorts that the US is using the war on drugs as a pretext to overthrow his government and seize Venezuela’s oil reserves.

While the crisis unfolds far from Ghana, the situation resonates with Ghanaian concerns over political repression and human‑rights violations. Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly urged the international community to protect political prisoners and uphold democratic norms, echoing calls made by the African Union.

Analysts say the growing US military presence could destabilise the wider region, affecting Ghana’s trade routes and the safety of Ghanaian expatriates in Latin America. The Ghana‑Venezuela diplomatic mission has urged both sides to seek dialogue and avoid further escalation.

As the story develops, observers will watch for any formal response from the Venezuelan government and potential repercussions for US‑Venezuela diplomatic ties.

Image Source: MYJOYONLINE