The American administration has criticized the administration in Caracas over the death of a detained opposition figure, calling it a "clear indication of the despicable character" of President Nicolás Maduro's regime.
The former governor died in his detention cell at the El Helicoide detention center in Caracas, where he had been held for more than a year, as stated by advocacy organizations and dissident factions.
The officials in Venezuela reported that the man in his fifties showed symptoms of a heart attack and was taken to a medical facility, where he succumbed on Saturday.
This new statement from the US is part of an escalating diplomatic spat between the Trump administration and President Maduro, who has claimed the US of pursuing regime change.
In recent months, the America has expanded its armed forces deployment in the Latin America and has executed a succession of lethal attacks on boats it asserts have been used for smuggling illegal substances.
US President Donald Trump has accused Maduro personally of being the chief of one of the area's drug cartels—an claim the Venezuelan president vehemently denies—and has hinted at the use of force "on the ground".
"Alfredo Díaz had been 'held without cause' in a 'center of abuse'," said the American diplomatic office for the region.
Díaz was taken into custody in that year after participating with numerous political opponents to dispute the conclusion of that period's presidential election.
Venezuela's government-controlled national electoral body proclaimed Maduro the victor, despite opposition tallies suggesting their nominee had won by a overwhelming majority.
The elections were largely criticized on the world stage as lacking in credibility, and sparked protests across the country.
Díaz, who was in charge of the Nueva Esparta state, was accused of "incitement to hatred" and "extremism" for disputing Maduro's electoral win.
National advocacy group Foro Penal has voiced worry over worsening circumstances for jailed opponents in the country.
"One more jailed opponent has died in Venezuelan prisons. He had been held for a year, in isolation," wrote Alfredo Romero, the group's president, on a social media platform.
He added that he had only been allowed one encounter from his family during the full duration of his imprisonment. He further stated that seventeen detained dissidents have lost their lives in the nation since 2014.
Dissident factions have also criticized the administration over the demise of Díaz.
María Corina Machado, a well-known dissident figure who won this period's Nobel Peace Prize but who is in concealment to avoid detention, stated that his demise was not an isolated incident.
"Tragically, it joins an disturbing and difficult sequence of demises of political prisoners held in the aftermath of the electoral repression," she posted.
The coalition of rivals said that the former governor "passed away unfairly".
Díaz's own party, Democratic Action (AD), also paid tribute to the ex-leader, saying he had been held without justice without fair treatment and had been kept in situations "that should never have violated his basic rights".
Tensions between the US and Venezuela have become ever more tense over what Trump has called attempts to stem the influx of narcotics and immigrants into the US.
Maduro has in turn claimed the US of using its anti-narcotics campaign as an excuse to overthrow his regime and gain control of Venezuela's enormous crude oil deposits.
The United States has also positioned a sizable naval force—its biggest movement in the region in decades—along with many military personnel.
In a parallel move, the Venezuelan armed forces according to reports inducted over five thousand six hundred soldiers in a mass ceremony on Saturday, in response to what defense officials described as US "intimidation".
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