Passing of Venezuela's Opposition Figure in Custody Called 'Abhorrent' by US Authorities.

The American administration has criticized the Venezuelan government over the death of a jailed political dissident, describing it as a "reminder of the despicable nature" of President Nicolás Maduro's government.

The political prisoner was found dead in his cell at the El Helicoide prison in Caracas, where he had been held for more than a year, as reported by advocacy organizations and dissident factions.

The officials in Venezuela said that the former governor displayed indicators of a heart attack and was transferred to a medical facility, where he succumbed on Saturday.

Intensifying War of Words Between US and Caracas

This recent statement from the United States is part of an growing war of words between the Trump administration and President Maduro, who has accused America of seeking regime change.

In the past few months, the US has expanded its armed forces deployment in the area and has conducted a series of deadly attacks on ships it asserts have been used for trafficking narcotics.

US President Donald Trump has alleged Maduro himself of being the leader of one of the region's narco-trafficking organizations—an accusation the Venezuelan president vehemently denies—and has threatened military action "by land".

"The detainee had been 'held without cause' in a 'center of abuse'," said the US State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Background of the Arrest

Díaz was arrested in that year after joining many opposition figures to contest the outcome of that period's election for president.

Venezuela's state-run electoral authority declared Maduro the winner, even though figures from dissidents indicating their contender had won by a overwhelming majority.

The elections were broadly rejected on the global scene as lacking in credibility, and ignited protests throughout the nation.

The former governor, who was in charge of the coastal region, was charged of "stoking division" and "terrorism" for questioning Maduro's claim to victory.

Responses from Advocates and the Political Rivals

National advocacy group Foro Penal has expressed alarm over deteriorating situations for jailed opponents in the country.

"Another detained dissident has lost his life in Venezuelan jails. He had been imprisoned for a twelve months, in solitary confinement," stated Alfredo Romero, the organisation's director, on a social network.

He said that Díaz had only been allowed one meeting from his family during the full duration of his imprisonment. He also mentioned that 17 political prisoners have passed away in the country since 2014.

Opposition groups have also denounced the administration over the demise of the former governor.

María Corina Machado, a leading political rival who was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize but who remains in seclusion to evade detention, commented that his death was not an isolated incident.

"Tragically, it adds to an disturbing and difficult series of deaths of political prisoners detained in the context of the post-election repression," she wrote.

The opposition alliance declared that the former governor "was an unjust death".

His own faction, Democratic Action (AD), also paid tribute to the former governor, noting he had been unjustly detained without fair treatment and had stayed in situations "that infringed upon his basic rights".

Wider International Tensions

Frictions between the US and Venezuela have become ever more tense over what Trump has described as efforts to stem the influx of drugs and migrants into the US.

• US air strikes on boats in the regional waters have killed over eighty people.
• Trump has accused Maduro of "emptying his prisons and psychiatric facilities" into the US.
• The US has labeled two Venezuelan drug cartels as terror groups.

Maduro has conversely alleged the US of using its anti-narcotics campaign as an excuse to remove his administration and access Venezuela's huge crude oil deposits.

The America has also stationed a large armada—its most substantial deployment in the region in decades—along with many soldiers.

In a related development, the Venezuelan military reportedly swore in more than 5,600 troops in a single event on Saturday, in response to what defense officials described as US "threats".