Brooklyn Rivera, a prominent Miskito Indigenous leader and former lawmaker in Nicaragua, dies while in state custody, according to multiple outlets. Rivera, 73, is arrested by Nicaraguan police in 2023 at his home in Bilwi and is held on undisclosed charges, which human rights groups and others describe as politically motivated. In the days before his death, Nicaragua acknowledges that his condition is critical and confirms that he is hospitalized. After that announcement, the government releases images related to his health. Nicaragua later confirms his death through its Health Ministry, and other reporting cites health deterioration while he is detained.
The circumstances around his death remain disputed by family members and other groups, the New York Times reports. The United Nations also calls on Nicaragua to investigate Rivera’s death in custody. The U.S. has demanded his release, and Amnesty International describes him as a “prisoner of conscience.” No single outlet provides a fully resolved, independently verified account of the cause of death.
