HRF holds the Venezuelan regime responsible for the torture and death of political prisoner Alfredo Díaz. All democracies must strongly condemn and hold the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro accountable for its inhumane treatment, persecution, and killing of political opponents.

On Dec. 7, former governor of the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, Alfredo Díaz, died of a heart attack in the Helicoide detention center, the largest torture center in all of Latin America. Díaz was among the 2000 Venezuelans unlawfully detained for peacefully protesting the regime’s fraudulent claims of victory in the July 2024 elections. (BBC)

The Maduro regime has systematically tortured victims of arbitrary detention or enforced disappearance, keeping them isolated and preventing communication with their families or lawyers. Díaz had received only one visit from his daughter during the entire year he was imprisoned. (BBC)

There are still more than 880 prisoners of conscience in Venezuela, all of whom face risks to their health and lives in the hands of the regime. Like Díaz, many were detained in a countrywide crackdown against opposition members and critics who protested Maduro’s electoral manipulation and refusal to relinquish power. (Foro Penal)