Venezuela Says Detained Ex-Governor Alfredo Díaz Died of a Heart Attack

Overview

• The penitentiary ministry reported Díaz showed symptoms consistent with a myocardial infarction around 6:33 a.m. on December 6 and died minutes after transfer to Hospital Clínico Universitario in Caracas.
• Opposition figures and NGOs say he was isolated at El Helicoide, denied medical treatment, allowed only one visit from his daughter, and assigned a public defender against his family’s wishes.
• Díaz was arrested in November 2024 after challenging Nicolás Maduro’s contested re-election and was being prosecuted on charges including terrorism and incitement to hatred while awaiting trial.
• The U.S. State Department condemned the death as evidence of repression, a statement issued as U.S. naval forces conduct counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean that Caracas portrays as a threat.
• Rights group Foro Penal says Díaz is at least the sixth opposition figure to die in custody since November 2024, counts at least 887 political prisoners nationwide, and documents 17 such deaths since 2014.