Nicaraguan Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera dies in state custody, media reports say

BUENOS AIRES - Nicaraguan Indigenous leader and former lawmaker Brooklyn Rivera died on Saturday night in state custody at age 73, news outlets 100% Noticias and Confidencial reported on Sunday, citing sources close to his family and at the hospital where Rivera had been staying.

The reports follow government confirmation last week that Rivera has been detained since 2023, after his family, the U.S. government and representatives of the United Nations demanded proof that he was still alive.

Reuters could not independently corroborate the reports by 100% Noticias and Confidencial, two news outlets that were forced to leave Nicaragua several years ago in the face of government repression against the press.

Rivera's daughter, Tininiska, did not immediately respond to a text message. As of midday on Sunday, the government of Nicaragua had not issued a statement on the reports of Rivera's death.

Rivera was arrested in September 2023 as part of a government crackdown on political dissent, according to human rights groups. He was a sitting lawmaker at the time and his family has said the government never formally admitted he was being held and denied family members visitation rights.

Wednesday's confirmation of Rivera's detention was accompanied by photographs showing him bedridden, intubated and severely emaciated. The Interior Ministry described his condition as "delicate, with mechanical ventilation through a tracheotomy and intravenous feeding" owing to "multiple organ failure, a cirrhotic liver and an active lung infection."

The U.S. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs denounced the statement, accusing the Nicaraguan government of attempting to conceal its role in the "cruel treatment and current condition" of Rivera.

Rivera had fought against Nicaragua's first Sandinista government (1979 to 1990) as a leader of the Misurasata militia alongside the Contra rebels. His political party, Yatama, was initially an opponent of President Daniel Ortega but later became an ally after Ortega returned to power in 2007.

In October 2023, the Indigenous Yatama party said the government had banned it from running in elections.

(Reporting by Gabriela Selser in Buenos Aires; Additional reporting by Leila Miller in Buenos AiresEditing by David Goodman and Matthew Lewis)

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 9:29 AM.