CARACAS, Feb 25, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela's opposition leader said Monday that a senior member of her movement, arrested in the aftermath of President Nicolas Maduro's disputed reelection last year, has died in prison -- the fourth since November.

In a post on X, Maria Corina Machado claimed that Maduro's government had "assassinated" Reinaldo Araujo.

He was arrested on January 9, the day before Maduro's swearing-in for a third six-year term after elections the opposition and much of the international community say he stole.

Araujo "had serious health problems, but was denied medical assistance. Until today, when it was too late," Machado posted.

Maduro was declared the victor of a July 2024 vote by Venezuela's regime-friendly CNE electoral authority, which did not provide a detailed breakdown of ballots cast.

The opposition says its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia was the real winner.

Maduro's victory claim sparked mass protests and a crackdown that left 28 people dead and 2,400 behind bars. About 500 of those remain locked up, though activists say dissident arrests have continued.

According to Venezuela's Foro Penal NGO, Venezuela holds 1,061 "political prisoners."

Another senior member of Machado's party, 36-year-old Jesus Manuel Martinez, died in prison last November, followed by two others -- Jesus Rafael Alvarez, 44 and Alexander Gonzalez Perez, 43 -- in December.

Rights activists say at least a dozen jailed Maduro detractors have died in state custody since 2014, and family members regularly denounce torture and poor treatment of detainees.