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The Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners reported around 35 people released from custody between November and December 2, 2025. Of those, 17 had not previously been identified as political prisoners, which—according to the group—shows that an undercount exists, driven by the “climate of fear” in Nicaragua.
According to the organization, among the 17 people released who had not been listed as political prisoners are mostly former state employees, ex-military personnel, and supporters of the ruling party, who were reportedly detained “for apparently political reasons.”
These detentions “belonged to the underreporting highlighted in recent months,” the Mechanism warned. “The silence surrounding these cases confirms that the underreporting is greater than estimated, and that the state practice of temporary disappearance functions as a tool to hide the true scale of repression,” it added.
They warn that this underreporting “does not stem from a lack of cases, but from the widespread fear imposed by the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, whose coercive structures use arbitrary detention, surveillance, and threats as mechanisms of social control.”
They emphasize that “many families prefer not to report detentions for fear of immediate reprisals, which makes it difficult to identify all individuals imprisoned for political reasons in a timely manner.”
Released prisoners still under threat
Regarding the Nicaraguans who were released and were included on the Mechanism’s list, they clarified that there are 12 men and 6 women. These releases occurred without prior notice, and several individuals were returned to their homes showing signs of physical and emotional deterioration.
“After being returned to their homes, these individuals and their families were explicitly threatened not to report what had happened and were informed that they would remain under ‘house arrest’ or ‘municipal arrest,’ with the obligation to report daily at police stations,” the organization noted.
The Mechanism also emphasized that the releases “do not constitute full freedom”. The State continues to fail to clarify the reasons for their detention, the nature of the judicial proceedings and the violations committed during their captivity.
62 political prisoners remain
After these releases, the Mechanism counts 62 citizens detained for political reasons—56 men and 6 women—of whom 18 are elderly and 28 remain in a state of forced disappearance.
“Forced disappearance remains one of the most serious violations: 28 people continue to be unaccounted for, and their families face silence, fear, and harassment,” the organization warned.
The updated list of political prisoners still includes indigenous leaders Brooklyn Rivera Bryan, Steadman Fagoth Müller and Nancy Elizabeth Henríquez, who are among the 18 elderly detainees.
Also included are retired military officers Carlos Brenes, Víctor Boitano, Aníbal Rivas Reed and Eddie Moisés González Valdivia.
In addition, the list features former Sandinista revolutionary commander Henry Ruiz, confined to his home by the Nicaraguan Police since March 8, as well as Ortega’s former advisor and retired general Álvaro Baltodano Cantarero.
