Brooklyn Rivera, one of Nicaragua’s most prominent Indigenous rights advocates and political figures, has died after spending nearly three years in detention under the government of Daniel Ortega and co-President Rosario Murillo.
The Nicaraguan government announced Rivera’s death on Sunday, stating that he succumbed to a bacterial infection following complications related to COVID-19 that allegedly caused severe physical and neurological deterioration.
Rivera’s death has sparked widespread condemnation from human rights organizations, legal advocates, and international observers who have long criticized the Nicaraguan government’s treatment of political opponents and Indigenous activists.
Among the critics was human rights lawyer Reed Brody, a member of a United Nations expert group monitoring Nicaragua. Brody accused authorities of concealing Rivera’s condition and criticized the government’s portrayal of concern for the imprisoned activist.
The U.S. government had publicly called for Rivera’s release only days before his death after authorities released photographs showing him hospitalized in critical condition.
The Inter-American Center for Legal Assistance in Human Rights also condemned Rivera’s death and demanded accountability, arguing that those responsible should face criminal consequences.
Rivera was widely recognized as the leader of Nicaragua’s Indigenous Miskito People, whose communities inhabit the country’s northeastern Caribbean coast. For decades, he fought to protect Indigenous lands, political autonomy, and cultural rights in a region rich in natural resources, including gold and silver.
His activism began in the 1960s and intensified during Nicaragua’s political upheavals in the 1970s and 1980s. After opposing the Sandinista government, Rivera spent periods in exile in both Costa Rica and Colombia.
In the late 1980s, Rivera founded YATAMA, an Indigenous movement that played a central role in securing limited autonomy for Indigenous communities through negotiations with the Sandinista government.
In April 2023, Rivera traveled to Geneva to participate in a United Nations forum focused on Indigenous peoples, where he openly criticized the Nicaraguan government. Shortly afterward, authorities reportedly barred him from re-entering Nicaragua.
Despite the restriction, Rivera returned to the country and lived in hiding until September 2023, when he was arrested on terrorism-related accusations. Human rights advocates say he effectively disappeared after his detention, with little information provided regarding his condition or whereabouts.
According to U.N. experts, repeated requests for proof of life and information about Rivera’s health were ignored by Nicaraguan authorities. It was only in the days before his death that officials released images showing him receiving treatment in a hospital.
Brody and other rights advocates argue that Rivera’s case highlights broader concerns over political repression in Nicaragua. United Nations investigators have documented numerous cases of arbitrary detention involving Indigenous activists since 2018, as well as dozens of deaths linked to violence in Indigenous territories.
Rivera’s supporters remember him as a tireless advocate who dedicated more than four decades to defending Indigenous land rights, autonomy, and representation in Nicaragua.
His death is likely to intensify international scrutiny of Nicaragua’s human rights record and the treatment of political prisoners under the current government.
