We deplore the death in State custody of Indigenous leader and activist Brooklyn Rivera. We call on Nicaraguan authorities to conduct a prompt, impartial and effective investigation into his death, following protracted arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance.
His relatives were informed on 30 May that Rivera, a prominent Miskitu leader and president of the dissolved Yatama party, had died after more than 32 months in State custody.
Rivera participated in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York in May 2023, after which the Nicaraguan authorities prevented him from returning to Nicaragua. He was recognised as a victim of reprisals for his cooperation with the UN, as per the UN Secretary-General's 2024 and 2025 reports on such reprisals.
Upon his clandestine return to Nicaragua in September 2023, he was arbitrarily detained, and, despite requests, authorities refused to acknowledge his fate and whereabouts until his death, which amounts to enforced disappearance. The specific conditions of his detention over the years, including whether he had access to adequate medical care, and the exact sequence of events that led to his death, remain unclear.
The UN Human Rights Office has reported over the years a continuing pattern of serious allegations of torture and mistreatment of inmates in Nicaraguan prisons. Since August 2025, our Office has registered three other cases of death in custody, also appearing related to poor conditions of detention and insufficient medical care.
We urge the Nicaraguan authorities to release all those arbitrarily detained and ensure that detention facilities fully comply with international human rights standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules). This includes providing access to adequate healthcare, notifying family, and ensuring access to legal representation and to an independent justice system.
We call on the Nicaraguan Government to restore access of the UN Human Rights Office and other human rights mechanisms to the country, and particularly to its detention centres.
