Geneva (AFP) – The United Nations called Tuesday for a “transparent investigation” into the death of Venezuelan opposition member Fernando Alban after Caracas said he killed himself in custody.
Alban had been jailed over accusations that he took part in an alleged, failed drone attack on President Nicolas Maduro on August 4.
Venezuela’s Attorney General William Saab told state television VTV that Alban threw himself from a tenth-floor window on Monday at the headquarters of the intelligence service, where he had been in pre-trial detention.
A spokeswoman for the UN rights office, Ravina Shamdasani, told reporters the Caracas government had “an obligation to ensure (Alban’s) safety, personal integrity and dignity”.
“We are concerned about news of his death… We do indeed call for a transparent investigation to clarify the circumstances of his death,” she added.
His First Justice party blamed Maduro’s government for the death of Alban, who was arrested on Friday.