GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed dismay at the death in custody of Indigenous Miskitu leader and lawmaker Brooklyn Rivera, and the allegations of enforced disappearance of seven members of his family who had come to claim his remains.
“It is outrageous that repeated warnings and calls for protection have gone unheeded. We consider it an act of cruelty that the Nicaraguan Government is reportedly not allowing Brooklyn Rivera’s family to make decisions about funeral rites and the burial of his remains,” the experts said.
They called for a prompt, effective, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Rivera’s death in line with international standards, in particular the Minnesota Protocol, and for those responsible to be held accountable.
“A death in custody engages the State’s heightened responsibility to account fully for what occurred, especially given Rivera was subjected to enforced disappearance for a prolonged period,” the experts said.
UN human rights mechanisms have followed this case since 2023 and have repeatedly raised concerns for Brooklyn Rivera’s life, physical integrity, health, and well-being. On 22 August 2025, the human rights experts wrote to the Government of Nicaragua about Rivera’s alleged arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance. They also requested proof of life from Nicaraguan authorities, following rumours of his death in custody. There was no response.
“The reported serious violations committed against Brooklyn Rivera and his family must stop. The Nicaraguan Government must reveal the fate and whereabouts of the seven missing family members and release them immediately,” the experts said.
They urged authorities to immediately respect the rights of Rivera’s family, including granting them access to all relevant information and records, ensuring their participation in decisions regarding his remains, and allowing funeral rites to be carried out in accordance with the family’s wishes and Miskito traditions.
The case of Brooklyn Rivera comes against the backdrop of a grave and sustained deterioration of the human rights situation in Nicaragua. On 1 May 2026, Human Rights Council’s experts warned of a pattern of enforced disappearances, incommunicado detention and detention conditions that could amount to torture or other cruel treatment. In March 2026, the report of a Group of Experts on Nicaragua described repression and persecution by authorities as systematic, amounting to, prima facie, crimes against humanity.
“Rivera’s case cannot be separated from the broader and deeply troubling human rights context in Nicaragua, including the repression of dissent, attacks on civic space, and the persecution of Indigenous leaders, human rights defenders and those perceived as opponents,” the experts said.
The arrest and subsequent enforced disappearance of Rivera occurred after his return from participation in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2023, the experts noted.
“States and international and regional organisations should pay closer attention to the situation in Nicaragua and use all appropriate means to press for truth, accountability, protection of all persons deprived of liberty, and an end to enforced disappearance, torture, ill-treatment and reprisals,” the experts said.
*The experts:
- Albert Barume, Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Matthew Gillett (Chair-Rapporteur), Ms. Ganna Yudkivska (Vice-Chair on Communications), Mr. Ethan Hee-Seok Shin (Vice-Chair on Follow-Up), Ms. Miriam Estrada Castillo and Mr. Mumba Malila, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
- Gabriella Citroni (Chairperson), Grażyna Baranowska (Vice-Chairperson), Aua Balde, Ana Lorena Delgadillo Perez and Mohammed Al-Obaidi, Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
- Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution
- AndreaBolaños Vargas, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organisation, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/
UN Human Rights, country page – Nicaragua
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