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4h ago

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Alfredo Díaz Dies in SEBIN Custody as Rights Groups Demand Inquiry

The former Nueva Esparta governor had been held since November 2024 after the disputed election period, with a stalled case under tight access restrictions.

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A general view of the El Helicoide building, headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) in Caracas, taken on July 28, 2023. A virtual reality project denounces "systematic torture" in the feared dungeons of El Helicoide, where the intelligence service of Venezuela operates. "We are looking for decision makers to promote the closure of torture centres. We want the Helicoide to be closed," Victor Navarro, director of Voces de la Memoria, the NGO that developed the project, said in an interview with AFP in Buenos Aires, where he has been living for four and a half years as a refugee. (Photo by Yuri CORTEZ / AFP)
Denuncian que Alfredo Díaz, preso político venezolano, falleció en centro de tortura del régimen de Nicolás Maduro
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Overview

  • The Penitentiary Ministry confirmed his death, saying he showed heart attack symptoms and was taken to a hospital where he died minutes later.
  • Family members and lawyers say he was isolated at El Helicoide with limited visits and months of unanswered requests for medical attention.
  • Relatives report they were not given medical records or immediate access to the body, pressing authorities for formal explanations.
  • Foro Penal, Provea and other groups call for an impartial investigation under the Minnesota Protocol into a death under state custody.
  • Opposition leaders describe the case as part of a post‑electoral crackdown that includes contested prosecutions, restricted due process and multiple deaths in custody since 2024.