Death of Venezuela's Opposition Figure in Custody Called 'Despicable' by US Officials.

The United States has criticized the Venezuelan government over the death of a jailed opposition figure, describing it as a "clear indication of the vile character" of President Nicolás Maduro's regime.

The former governor passed away in his cell at the El Helicoide facility in Caracas, where he had been incarcerated for in excess of twelve months, according to human rights organisations and dissident factions.

The officials in Venezuela reported that the former governor displayed indicators of a myocardial infarction and was transferred to a medical facility, where he succumbed on the weekend.

Growing War of Words Between US and Caracas

This new statement from the United States is part of an growing exchange of rhetoric between the American government and President Maduro, who has alleged Washington of pursuing his overthrow.

In the last several months, the America has expanded its armed forces deployment in the area and has carried out a number of fatal operations on ships it asserts have been used for trafficking illegal substances.

US President Donald Trump has alleged Maduro personally of being the chief of one of the region's narco-trafficking organizations—an accusation the Venezuelan president strongly rejects—and has hinted at military action "via a land invasion".

"He had been 'unjustly imprisoned' in a 'facility for mistreatment'," stated the US State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Background of the Detention

Díaz was detained in that year after being among many political opponents to dispute the outcome of that period's election for president.

Venezuela's government-controlled electoral authority declared Maduro the winner, despite figures from dissidents indicating their contender had won by a overwhelming majority.

The electoral process were broadly rejected on the world stage as lacking in credibility, and sparked unrest throughout the country.

The former governor, who governed the coastal region, was accused of "stoking division" and "extremism" for challenging Maduro's electoral win.

Reactions from Rights Groups and the Political Rivals

Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal has raised concerns over deteriorating circumstances for political prisoners in the South American state.

"Another political prisoner has died in Venezuelan prisons. He had been held for a year, in solitary confinement," wrote Alfredo Romero, the group's director, on a social network.

He added that the detainee had only been allowed one visit from his child during the entire length of his detention. He added that over a dozen political prisoners have lost their lives in the country since that year.

Political rivals have also condemned the regime over the death of the former governor.

María Corina Machado, a prominent dissident figure who was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize but who stays in hiding to evade capture, said that the governor's death was part of a pattern.

"Tragically, it adds to an concerning and painful series of demises of detained dissidents imprisoned in the context of the electoral crackdown," she posted.

The Democratic Unitary Platform stated that Díaz "was an unjust death".

His own faction, Democratic Action (AD), also paid tribute to the ex-leader, stating he had been wrongly imprisoned without fair treatment and had stayed in circumstances "that should never have violated his human rights".

Wider Geopolitical Tensions

Frictions between the US and Venezuela have become progressively worse over what Trump has described as attempts to stop the flow of narcotics and migrants into the United States.

• US aerial attacks on vessels in the regional waters have resulted in the deaths of over eighty individuals.
• Trump has accused Maduro of "clearing out his jails and mental institutions" into the US.
• The US has designated two Venezuelan trafficking organizations as terror groups.

Maduro has in turn accused the US of using its war on drugs as an excuse to remove his socialist government and access Venezuela's enormous crude oil deposits.

The United States has also positioned a significant naval force—its largest presence in the region in many years—along with many soldiers.

In a parallel move, the Venezuelan military allegedly swore in over five thousand six hundred recruits in a mass ceremony on the weekend, in answer to what army commanders called US "threats".