Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera dies in Nicaragua after nearly 3 years of detention

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Brooklyn Rivera, a renowned Indigenous person from Nicaragua who spent years warring for the rights of his assemblage and was imprisoned by the authorities successful September 2023, has died.

The Nicaraguan authorities issued a connection Sunday claiming that Rivera died from a bacterial corruption aft his wellness had declined pursuing a lawsuit of COVID-19, which led to his carnal and neurological deterioration.

Human rights activists and groups worldwide denounced his decease and a connection that the authorities released Saturday successful which they referred to Rivera arsenic “Brother” and said they were praying for him.

“They took him alive, and aft refusing to archer his family, his lawyer, the satellite thing astir his fate, past they telephone him brother,” said Reed Brody, an American quality rights lawyer and subordinate of a radical of U.N. experts connected Nicaragua. “Unconscionable cynicism connected the portion of the authorities to marque it look similar they were trying to assistance him.”

The U.S. had called for his merchandise connected Friday aft the Nicaraguan authorities published photos of him successful the infirmary successful captious condition.

The Argentina-based Inter-American Center for Legal Assistance successful Human Rights besides denounced Rivera’s death.

Those liable for the decease of the Indigenous lawmaker "should beryllium held criminally accountable,” it wrote connected X.

Rivera led the Miskito people, who unrecorded on Nicaragua’s northeast seashore and person agelong fought to clasp their lands.

For decades, helium fought the ruling Sandinista authorities and helped found the country on the northeast seashore arsenic an autonomous region. It is affluent successful gold, metallic and different resources, and it is considered a cardinal country for the medication of co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and his woman Rosario Murillo to pull overseas investment.

Rivera’s combat for Nicaragua’s Indigenous radical began successful the 1960s. After opposing Ortega’s Sandinista’s authorities successful the precocious 1970s, helium temporarily went into exile successful adjacent Costa Rica successful 1980.

He aboriginal returned to Nicaragua, wherever helium survived an onslaught by Sandanista forces, forcing him erstwhile again to question information elsewhere, this time, successful Colombia.

In the precocious 1980s, helium founded the radical known arsenic Yatama, the Organization of the Peoples of Mother Earth. It played a cardinal relation successful securing constricted autonomy for Indigenous radical pursuing bid negotiations with the Sandinistas.

“He has been warring successful 1 mode oregon different for their rights,” Brody said. “He fought for land, helium fought for autonomy.”

Nicaragua’s Indigenous radical operated autonomously until they were annexed into the state successful 1905.

“Since then, they person advocated for the designation of their rights and for respect for their identity,” stated a September 2024 study published by the radical of U.N. experts.

It noted that since 2018, astir a twelve lawyers person issued astatine slightest 25 deeds purporting to legalize the possession of Indigenous communal lands to non-Indigenous 3rd parties. One deed dated Aug. 11, 2023 noted that 261 acres were sold by a non-Indigenous idiosyncratic for $61,000, according to the U.N. group.

The study quoted an unidentified Indigenous authorities authoritative asserting that helium was threatened by settlers erstwhile helium visited communities to code complaints astir onshore usurpation. He said that men equipped with pistols and machetes approached him and said, “We already person you connected the list, we are going to termination you, due to the fact that we are successful complaint here, the retired service officers.”

In April 2023, Rivera traveled to Geneva to enactment successful a U.N. forum connected Indigenous people, wherever helium spoke retired against the Nicaraguan government.

Shortly afterward, Ortega and Murillo banned him from returning to the country, but helium slipped successful anyhow and lived successful hiding until September 2023, erstwhile helium was arrested and accused of terrorism.

“Nobody heard from him since then,” Brody said, adding that helium and different U.N. experts wrote the authorities requesting that it supply immoderate motion of life. “The authorities ne'er gave immoderate indication. He was a disappeared person.”

It wasn’t until precocious past week that the authorities published pictures of Rivera successful the hospital.

“This conscionable shows the cruelty with which this authorities treats anyone who stands successful the mode of their implicit consolidation of power,” Brody said.

He noted that the U.N. radical of experts has documented 124 cases of arbitrary detention of Indigenous radical successful Nicaragua since 2018, and 46 deaths pursuing unit incidents, usually clashes with settlers.

Brody noted that astatine slightest six governmental prisoners person died successful custody since 2019, including 2 past August.

“Brooklyn Rivera spent 40 years warring for his people,” helium said, “and hopefully the planetary assemblage volition yet wage attention.”

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.