CARACAS (Reuters) -The local leader of a Venezuelan opposition party, Edwin Santos, was found dead on Friday morning, with government critics blaming the death on state security forces though the government has said he died in an accident.
The 36-year-old co-founder of Voluntad Popular, who led a local branch in the country's western Apure state, went missing on Wednesday afternoon after traveling by motorbike to the town of El Pinal, his party said on X.
Venezuelan police director Douglas Rico later said in a post on Instagram that Santos' death had been the result of an accident when the motorbike he was driving ran into a tree, causing severe injuries including a fracture to his skull.
"We reject all the false information shared by various information platforms and spokespeople seeking to manipulate people and say the national government could be behind this tragic incident," Rico said.
Voluntad Popular had accused the government of being behind the killing, saying local witnesses had seen him being stopped by state security officials and that they had information he was in state custody as of Thursday afternoon.
Venezuela's communication ministry and prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The leader of Venezuela's broader opposition alliance, Maria Corina Machado, also spoke out about Santos' death, calling for an impartial investigation and international justice for what she called a rise of crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
"They killed Edwin. A young political leader, Catholic volunteer and father to two small children," she said. "He was a good and happy man who loved his country and gave himself to the fight for its democracy."
Local rights group Foro Penal estimated this week there are some 1,953 political prisoners in Venezuela, the majority held without sentence.
The United Nations has accused the government of President Nicolas Maduro of repression against political opponents in the wake of the country's July election, in which Maduro claimed victory but the opposition says it won by a landslide.
The government has said this is a sign of foreign coercion and that it has a robust apparatus for the defense of human rights.