Venezuelan authorities acknowledged on Sunday the death of 56-year-old political prisoner Alfredo Díaz while in state custody, marking what many see as yet another casualty of the oppressive Maduro regime.
The Ministry of Penitentiary Services reported that Díaz passed away on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at approximately 6:33 AM after displaying symptoms indicative of a heart attack.
Díaz had been incarcerated since November 2024, accused of "terrorism" and "inciting hatred" amid the turmoil following the elections in which opposition candidate Edmundo González was believed to have won.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado expressed her condolences on Saturday, stating, "Our strength and prayers are with his family and friends. Venezuela stands with you in this profound sorrow," while condemning the loss of Díaz as part of a broader pattern of political repression and persecution affecting dissenters in the South American nation.
On Saturday, Machado issued a "global alert" through her social media account on the platform X, highlighting the plight of political prisoners in Venezuela. She emphasized that "Díaz's death is not an isolated incident."
Alfredo Díaz, a former governor of the state of Nueva Esparta (2017-2021) and a significant figure in the opposition, died while detained in a regime penitentiary, an event human rights organizations interpret as further evidence of the despotic treatment political prisoners endure under Nicolás Maduro’s rule.
His death adds to an expanding list of political detainees whose cases have sparked international concern over prison conditions, inadequate medical care, and the regime's systematic denial of judicial rights.
Machado has repeatedly informed the international community about the "inhumane" conditions in Venezuelan prisons.
Questions on the Situation of Political Prisoners in Venezuela
What were the charges against Alfredo Díaz?
Alfredo Díaz was accused of "terrorism" and "inciting hatred" following the contested elections in which the opposition candidate Edmundo González was believed to have won.
How did María Corina Machado respond to Díaz's death?
María Corina Machado expressed condolences and condemned Díaz's death as part of the regime's pattern of political repression. She also issued a global alert about the situation of political prisoners in Venezuela.