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The United States on Monday, June 1, 2026, held the Nicaraguan government of Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, responsible for the death of Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera, who died on Saturday, May 30, in Managua while hospitalized under state custody.
“The Ortega-Murillo dictatorship in Nicaragua is responsible for the death of Brooklyn Rivera, who died this weekend as a prisoner of the regime after three years of inhumane treatment, unjust detention, and enforced disappearance,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote in a post on X.
“The United States stands with those who, like Brooklyn, are committed to a free Nicaragua. Rest in peace,” he added.
Rivera, 73, was the founder of the Indigenous political party Yapti Tasba Masraka Nanih Aslatakanka (Yatama, meaning “Children of Mother Earth” in the Miskitu language). According to Nicaraguan authorities, he had been hospitalized in the intensive care unit of a Managua hospital since March 7 due to respiratory complications.
U.N. Calls for a “Swift” and “Impartial” Investigation
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres expressed sorrow over the death of the Indigenous leader and called for a “swift, impartial, and transparent” investigation.
His spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, conveyed the message during his daily press briefing after news broke that the Miskitu Indigenous leader and former Nicaraguan lawmaker had died while hospitalized under state custody in Managua.
“The Secretary-General reiterates the need to respect human rights in Nicaragua, including the right to a fair trial and to humane treatment and detention conditions, and calls for a swift, impartial, and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Rivera’s death.”
The U.N. Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) also called for an “independent investigation” into Rivera’s death.
Nicaragua’s Explanation for Brooklyn Rivera’s Death
Days before Rivera’s death, the U.S. administration had condemned what it described as acts of “violence and inhumanity” by Ortega’s government and demanded the former lawmaker’s “unconditional” release.
In a press statement, the Nicaraguan government said Rivera died despite “the enormous and intensive efforts” made to restore the health of “our brother Brooklyn.” It attributed his physical and neurological deterioration to complications stemming from a “bacterium generated by COVID-19.”
Meanwhile, the Indigenous leader’s daughter, Tininiska Rivera, had appealed to authorities the previous day to allow her family to receive her father’s body and bid him farewell in accordance with the traditions of their people.
In a statement, she also expressed her “deep sorrow and concern” over the circumstances of the Indigenous leader’s death and denounced the fact that for months her family had been denied direct information about his condition and had been unable to see him, speak with him, or be by his side.
