Nicaragua Confirms Brooklyn Rivera Died at 73 in Custody After 2 Years Disappeared
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 1
Nicaragua Confirms Brooklyn Rivera Died at 73 in Custody After 2 Years Disappeared
14 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 1
Brooklyn Rivera, a 73-year-old Miskito Indigenous leader and former lawmaker, died in Nicaraguan state custody after being held since September 2023 without outside contact.
Nicaragua said a bacterial infection following COVID-19 caused his death, but UN rights expert Reed Brody said the state was responsible because Rivera was effectively disappeared and denied independent medical oversight.
Wednesday photos released by the Interior Ministry showed Rivera intubated in a hospital with multiple organ failure, a cirrhotic liver and an active lung infection, triggering fresh condemnation and U.S. demands for his release.
Rivera had long opposed Daniel Ortega's government and defended Indigenous land rights on Nicaragua's northeast coast, where mining and other resource interests have intensified pressure.
His death adds to scrutiny of Ortega and co-president Rosario Murillo, whose government has been accused of jailing, exiling and stripping citizenship from dissidents.
After an Indigenous leader's death in state custody, can international justice finally reach Nicaragua's Ortega-Murillo regime?
With their leader dead and party banned, what is the future for the Miskito people's decades-long struggle for autonomy?
Brooklyn Rivera’s Death in Nicaraguan Custody: A Stark Indicator of Worsening Repression Against Indigenous Leaders
Overview
Brooklyn Rivera, a prominent Indigenous lawmaker and advocate for the Miskitu people, was arrested in September 2023 during a government crackdown on dissent in Nicaragua. For years, his family was denied information and visitation, while the government refused to confirm his detention. On May 29, 2026, authorities finally acknowledged Rivera was in custody, releasing images showing him in a critical, emaciated state. The Interior Ministry attributed his condition to severe illness, but international bodies condemned the government for his treatment. Rivera’s death in custody has become a symbol of Nicaragua’s deepening repression and sparked urgent calls for justice and accountability.