Nicaraguan Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera, 73, has died while in state custody, the government confirmed on Sunday.
Rivera, a prominent advocate for the Miskito people and their land rights, had been detained since September 2023.
His death followed a period of isolation during which his family and rights groups had no reliable information about his well-being.
The Nicaraguan Health Ministry attributed his passing to a bacterial infection following COVID-19, claiming the virus caused severe “physical and neurological deterioration.”
However, international observers and activists have strongly rejected this narrative.
Reed Brody, a human rights lawyer and UN expert, criticized the government’s sudden acknowledgment, stating:
“They took him alive and after refusing to tell his family, his lawyer, the world anything about his fate, then they call him brother.” He called the government’s stance “unconscionable cynicism.”
Last week, authorities released photos showing an emaciated, intubated Rivera in a hospital, which sparked global outrage and urgent calls for his release.
Manuel Orozco, an expert on the region condemned the event, saying, “This is just complete neglect. His death represents the magnitude of repression.”
As international pressure for an independent investigation grows, Rivera is remembered as a lifelong champion for Indigenous autonomy.
