Venezuela faces calls for probe after opposition activist dies in custody

Venezuela faced calls internationally Tuesday for a "transparent investigation" into the death in custody of an opposition member who the government said threw himself from a 10th floor window of the headquarters of the state intelligence services.

Fernando Alban, a Caracas city council member accused of taking part in a failed drone attack on President Nicolas Maduro, was in pretrial detention Monday at the time of his death, which the government presented as a suicide.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on state television that Alban, who had been arrested on Friday, asked to go to the restroom and threw himself from a window.

The death sparked expressions of concern by the United Nations and the European Union, both of which called for a probe.

The Maduro government has "an obligation to ensure (Alban's) safety, personal integrity and dignity," a spokeswoman for the UN human rights office in Geneva,
In a statement, the European Union also demanded "a thorough and independent investigation" to clarify the circumstances of Alban's "tragic death."
Maduro has blamed the drone attack on First Justice founder Julio Borges, who now lives in exile in Colombia. Borges said on Twitter the "cruelty of the dictatorship ended the life of Alban."
Interior and Justice Minister General Nestor Reverol lamented the death of the politician who, he said, was "involved in destabilizing acts directed from abroad."