Nicaraguan indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera dies in custody at age 73

Brooklyn Rivera, a historical figure of the indigenous Miskito people and former Nicaraguan congressman, died at the age of 73 while in the custody of Nicaraguan authorities, according to an announcement from the country's Ministry of Health.

The government stated that Rivera died from complications related to Covid-19. This announcement comes just days after authorities confirmed he had been in custody since 2023, ending months of uncertainty surrounding his fate.

His family, US officials, and United Nations experts had repeatedly called for proof that he was still alive. His arrest and detention had drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations.

Several of these organizations have denounced what they consider arbitrary detention and political persecution. Reed Brody, a member of the UN Group of Experts on Human Rights in Nicaragua, stated that Rivera's detention conditions could not be separated from his death.

According to him, the indigenous leader was held for over two years in a situation amounting to enforced disappearance, without access to independent medical care. He stated that these circumstances raised serious questions about the authorities' responsibility.

The official announcement of the death came after similar information was disseminated by several Nicaraguan media outlets operating from abroad, who were forced to leave the country following the repression of the independent press.

Brooklyn Rivera was one of the best-known figures in the Miskito community, primarily located on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast. For several decades, he was committed to defending the territorial and political rights of the country's indigenous peoples.