MANAGUA (Nicaragua): The death of Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera while in State custody has triggered calls for an independent investigation from international human rights groups even as it renewed scrutiny of the government of Daniel Ortega and drew criticism for the way it handled the funeral.
Rivera, a longtime advocate for the rights of Indigenous communities on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, died at age 73 after nearly three years in detention. His death has prompted condemnation from foreign governments and rights organizations, while critics have questioned the circumstances surrounding his detention, treatment in custody and the state’s handling of his funeral.
Rivera, a longtime advocate for the rights of the Miskito people, died on Sunday, according to Nicaraguan authorities and human rights advocates. He had been in custody since being imprisoned by the government in September 2023 amid a broader crackdown on political dissent and opposition figures. In a statement, the Nicaraguan government said Rivera died from complications linked to a bacterial infection that developed after a Covid-19 illness, which it said caused a severe decline in his physical and neurological health.
In the days before his death, the government released images showing Rivera hospitalized and in critical condition. The United States (US) had called for his release on Friday after the Nicaraguan government released the photos.
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres expressed sorrow over Rivera’s death and called for a “swift, impartial and transparent” investigation. His spokesman Stéphane Dujarric conveyed the message during his daily press briefing after news broke that Rivera had died while hospitalized under state custody in Managua.
Amnesty International has called for a prompt, effective and independent investigation into Rivera’s death in State custody. Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said: “Brooklyn Rivera should not have died in the custody of the Nicaraguan state. His death followed the deterioration of his health while he was being arbitrarily detained. During this time, the authorities held him without confirming his whereabouts, without access to his family or to trusted legal counsel, and without independent oversight to verify his situation. Amnesty International repeatedly warned that these circumstances placed his personal integrity and life at risk. Today, those warnings have materialized into a death that the state must explain.
“This grave event cannot be met with silence or impunity. Under international human rights standards, all deaths in state custody must be investigated, as they may constitute unlawful deaths and, therefore, a violation of the right to life. We urgently call on governments in the region and international protection mechanisms to demand accountability from the Nicaraguan state and to call for a prompt, effective, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigation to clarify the circumstances of this potentially unlawful death. Now more than ever, they must also intensify their efforts on behalf of those who remain imprisoned for political reasons under conditions similar to those to which Rivera was subjected. Their lives are in grave danger.”
The US has held the Nicaraguan government of Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, responsible for Rivera’s death. In a social media post, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said: “The Ortega-Murillo dictatorship in Nicaragua is responsible for the death of Brooklyn Rivera, who died this weekend as a prisoner of the regime after three years of inhumane treatment, unjust detention, and enforced disappearance. The United States stands with those who, like Brooklyn, are committed to a free Nicaragua.”
Critics have also hit out at the Ortega government at the manner in which it handled Rivera’s funeral. The government disregarded his daughter Tininiska Rivera’s request that his body be returned to the family so he could be buried in Sandy Bay in accordance with the Indigenous leader’s wishes. She received no response. Instead, the government held what critics described as “orchestrated” funeral services for Rivera at the Sierras de Paz funeral home in Managua. It was in the style of mafia members attending the funerals of those they had killed, a media outlet reported. The outlet claimed Rivera had been buried in Managua on the orders of a government functionary. Several members of the National Assembly, including its President Gustav Porras, Electoral Council magistrate Lumberto Campbell and members of the Moravian Church in Managua were among those present, the outlet said.
A leading figure in Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast region, Rivera spent decades advocating for Indigenous autonomy, land rights and environmental protection. He was one of the founders of Yatama, an Indigenous political organization that played a significant role in securing autonomy arrangements for Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities during negotiations that followed the armed conflicts of the 1980s.
Rivera’s political career was closely tied to the struggles of the Miskito people, Nicaragua’s largest Indigenous group. Over the years, he served as a lawmaker and became one of the most recognizable Indigenous leaders in the country. His relationship with Nicaragua’s Sandinista leadership evolved over time, shifting from opposition during the conflict years to periods of political cooperation before relations deteriorated again. Rivera is remembered by supporters as a key architect of Indigenous political representation in Nicaragua and a lifelong defender of the rights, culture and autonomy of the Miskito people.
Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel and get instant updates
