Three Republicans representing South Florida in Congress--U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen--are urging the Trump administration to investigate the death of an opponent of the Maduro regime in Venezuela and backing sanctions against those responsible for it.
The three Republicans paired up with U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, D-NJ, in writing President Donald Trump on Monday about the death of Fernando Alban. They also are scheduled to hold a media event focusing on the matter in Kendall on Tuesday afternoon.
Alban, a prominent opponent of the Maduro regime, was accused of trying to kill that South American leader. Government officials insist Alban jumped to his death from the window of a 10 story building while being held for questioning. Members of the opposition insist Alban was murdered. Currently, the United Nations is investigating the matter.
“The Miami Herald reported that Caracas councilman Fernando Albán died while in custody of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service infuriating opposition leaders and Venezuelans living abroad. Many believe that he was tortured and that President Nicolás Maduro’s secret police threw his body out of a 10th-floor window to stage a suicide,” Curbelo’s office noted.
“According to reports, the Venezuelan chief prosecutor classified the disturbing incident as a suicide, indicating that while Alban was waiting to be transferred to a court house, he jumped to his death from the 10th floor of the police headquarters in Caracas,” the members of the Congress wrote. “We encourage the State Department to call for an independent investigation of the incident. As information is received regarding the parties responsible and the events that led up to Mr. Alban’s death, we ask to obtain the details of his detention and death as well as the steps the administration plans to take to hold the regime accountable.”
