A Venezuelan opposition leader has been found dead after being taken into state custody, according to his political party.

Voluntad Popular (Popular Will), a centre-left party that opposes the government of President Nicolas Maduro, said local leader and co-founder Edwin Santos had been found dead on a bridge connecting the neighbouring Venezuelan states of Apure and Tachira.

Santos had been detained by state security services two days earlier on his way to the community of El Pinal in Tachira state, said Voluntad Popular, citing witnesses in the area.

The party blamed “the regime of Maduro” for “murdering” Santos, saying it was a clear act of “political retaliation”.

“What happened to Edwin Santos confirms the continuation of policies of repression, persecution and murder by a criminal regime,” said Voluntad Popular in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

‘No doubt this was a political crime’

Images said to be that of Santos’s body were also posted.

Exiled opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez wrote on social media: “Yesterday we denounced the kidnapping of Edwin Santos by the Maduro dictatorship.”

He added: “Today, he appeared dead. He was MURDERED, we have no doubt that this was a political crime.”

The party described Santos as an important activist who spoke out for his community. It said he had a wife and two children.

URGENTE: Ayer denunciamos el secuestro de Edwin Santos por los dictadura de Maduro. Hoy apareció sin vida. Fue ASESINADO, no tenemos duda que se trata de un crimen político.

Edwin fue fundador de Voluntad Popular, gran líder y soñador de una mejor Venezuela. Deja a su esposa y… pic.twitter.com/f6IXuD4k2t

— Leopoldo López (@leopoldolopez) October 25, 2024

Former Venezuelan ambassador to the US, Carlos Vecchio, told Al Jazeera he knew Santos well, describing him as a “great person” and “leader”.

Vecchio said there are indications Santos was “tortured” and “dumped” on the roadside where he was found.

The report follows a deepening crackdown on opposition voices in Venezuela, where Maduro was named the winner of a disputed election in late June.

Venezuela’s national guard, police force and armed groups known as “colectivos” killed 23 people during protests in the aftermath of the July 28 election, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on the post-election crackdown.

Maduro’s opposition challenger, Edmundo Gonzalez, fled to Spain after an arrest warrant was issued for him.

Yesterday, the European Union awarded its top human rights prize to Gonzelez and fellow opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

In a statement on Thursday, Gonzalez pledged that Venezuela’s “struggle has not finished”.

“The regime persists in blocking political change, committing more and more human rights violations and crimes against humanity,” said Gonzalez. “Democrats, within and outside Venezuela, must work together to have the Venezuelan people’s sovereign mandate respected.”