A Venezuelan opposition activist who was arrested during anti-government protests in January has died in jail, his party has said.
Reinaldo Araujo, a leader of the Vente Venezuela party in Trujillo state, had been suffering from health problems, which his wife said were not treated while he was in prison.
Vente Venezuela’s leader, María Corina Machado, said she held “the regime” of Nicolás Maduro responsible for Araujo’s death.
According to the Venezuelan Prison Observatory NGO, 20 political prisoners have died while in custody over the past few years.
Vente Venezuela said Araujo had been seized by masked men on 9 January during a protest on the eve of the swearing in of Nicolás Maduro for a third term as president.
His wife said he had been returning from a medical appointment and had merely been observing the protest when he was taken away.
He had been in state custody since then.
His wife accuses the authorities of failing to providing her husband with medical care until it was too late, even though she had warned them that his health had been deteriorating.
Almagro has been an outspoken critic of Nicolás Maduro, accusing the Venezuelan leader of repressing the opposition in the run-up and the aftermath of July’s presidential election.
Credit: bbc.com
