Nicaragua has confirmed the assassination of the country’s leader Brooklyn Rivera | Human Rights Issues

Brooklyn Rivera, an indigenous leader, politician and human rights activist, has died at the age of 73 after years in the hands of the Nicaraguan government, prompting an outcry from activists.

On Sunday, the Nicaraguan government said the cause of his death was a bacterial infection he contracted after contracting COVID-19.

Recommended Articles

list of things 3end of series

But critics have expressed skepticism and anger, as the announcement came after pressure to reveal his position.

Reed Brody, a member of the United Nations Organization of Human Rights Experts in Nicaragua said: “If he is dead, we cannot say that he caused the disease.

In a statement before Rivera’s death was confirmed, Brody criticized the government for harming a traditional leader.

“The reason would be that he was in the hands of the government when he was forced to disappear for two years, he refused to be monitored by an independent officer. There is no other way to account for this,” Brody wrote.

Since September 2023, Rivera has been held in prison, incommunicado. Until recently, there was no evidence that he was in prison, and his family was denied access to him.

But on Wednesday, the Ministry of the Interior confirmed the arrest of Rivera and published the photos of the leader of the Naturalists who was admitted to the hospital.

It described Rivera’s condition at the time as “immature”. He is said to have suffered from “multiple organ failure, cirrhosis of the liver and lung disease”, and is being treated with “a mechanical ventilator through a tracheotomy and intravenous feeding”.

The images sparked new criticism and calls for his freedom.

The United States “demanded his unconditional release” in a televised statement. It also criticized the Nicaraguan leaders for their “participation in the abuse”.

“This repression, violence, and brutality is abhorrent; we reiterate our call for his and all political prisoners to be released NOW,” the US State Department wrote.

Nicaragua’s government – led by friends Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, who serve as presidents – has long been criticized for its authoritarian regime and a history of human rights abuses.

Under Ortega and Murillo, dissidents faced arrest, detention, torture, deportation and deportation.

Rivera was among the leaders who opposed Ortega’s leftist Sandinista government.

Rivera, who is a member of the Miskito tribe, advocated for the protection of their ancestral lands, along the northeastern coast of Nicaragua.

The region has faced pressure from the government and businesses that want to exploit gold, silver and other resources.

Rivera took part in the struggle against the first Sandinista government, from 1979 to 1990, as the leader of the Misurasata militia.

In 1980, he went to the neighboring country of Costa Rica. The Sandinista insurgency upon his return forced him to seek refuge abroad, this time in Colombia.

Rivera went on to found Yamata, a traditional political party that supported indigenous independence following peace talks with the Sandinistas.

Ortega later returned to power in 2007. In recent years, he has gone through reforms strengthen his authority on the government, including the promotion of his wife, Murillo, from vice president to president.

In his last years of freedom, Rivera continued to speak out against the government.

In April 2023, he went to Geneva, Switzerland, to speak at a UN conference on Indians. After making comments against Nicaragua, he was banned from re-entering the country.

However, Rivera returned to the country in hiding until he was arrested in September 2023. The government accused him of terrorism, but the prosecutors said that his arrest was tantamount to imprisoning the president.

“Nobody heard from that,” Brody said. The government has never said anything to show that he was a missing person.