Brooklyn Rivera, a prominent Indigenous leader and former politician, has died at age 73 while in Nicaraguan state custody. The government attributed his death to a bacterial infection following a COVID-19 infection, but rights advocates and human rights experts dispute this, citing his prolonged detention under conditions of enforced disappearance.
Key Details
- Rivera was detained in September 2023 and held without contact with the outside world until recently.
- On Wednesday, the Ministry of the Interior confirmed his detention and released photos of him in a hospital, stating his condition was delicate with multiple organ failure, cirrhotic liver, and lung infection.
- He died on Sunday. Nicaragua's government said the cause was a bacterial infection after COVID-19.
Critics, including UN human rights expert Reed Brody, argue that his death was caused by the conditions of his detention, where he was denied independent medical oversight.
Statements
- Reed Brody (UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua): Stated that if Rivera died, the cause would be his enforced disappearance and lack of medical care, not illness.
- US State Department: Demanded his unconditional release and blamed Nicaragua's leaders for his cruel treatment.
Background
- Rivera was a Miskito Indigenous leader who advocated for land rights in northeast Nicaragua.
- He previously fought against the Sandinista government and later co-founded the Yamata political party, which secured limited autonomy for Indigenous peoples.
- In recent years, he criticized the Ortega-Murillo government. After speaking at a UN forum in April 2023, he was banned from re-entering Nicaragua but returned secretly and was arrested in September 2023 on terrorism charges.
- His arrest was widely seen as silencing government critics. His family was barred from seeing him, and his whereabouts were unknown until the recent confirmation.