{"id":5280,"date":"2026-06-03T18:14:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site?p=5280"},"modified":"2026-06-04T18:16:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:16:33","slug":"nicaragua-un-experts-demand-truth-and-accountability-after-indigenous-leader-brooklyn-rivera-dies-in-custody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site?p=5280","title":{"rendered":"Nicaragua: UN experts demand truth and accountability after Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera dies in custody"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"GENEVA<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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\u2019s family to make decisions about funeral rites and the burial of his remains,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n

They called for a prompt, effective, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Rivera\u2019s death in line with international standards, in particular the Minnesota Protocol, and for those responsible to be held accountable.<\/p>\n

\u201cA death in custody engages the State\u2019s heightened responsibility to account fully for what occurred, especially given Rivera was subjected to enforced disappearance for a prolonged period,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n

UN human rights mechanisms have followed this case since 2023 and have repeatedly raised concerns for Brooklyn Rivera\u2019s life, physical integrity, health, and well-being. On\u00a022 August 2025<\/a>, the human rights experts wrote to the Government of Nicaragua about Rivera\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The case of Brooklyn Rivera comes against the backdrop of a grave and sustained deterioration of the human rights situation in Nicaragua. On\u00a01 May 2026<\/a>, Human Rights Council\u2019s 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,\u00a0prima facie<\/em>, crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n

\u201cRivera\u2019s 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,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cStates 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,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n

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*The experts:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n