UN panel says Nicaraguan authorities linked to at least eight custodial deaths since 2018
A UN human-rights panel concluded that the Nicaraguan government bears responsibility for a minimum of eight deaths of people held in custody since the 2018 crackdown.
In a new UN assessment, the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua determined that the state is accountable for at least eight deaths of individuals held in detention since the 2018 repression began. The report highlights the case of Brooklyn Rivera, a Miskito activist who died after more than two years in prison, with medical experts disputing the government’s claim that COVID-19 complications were to blame. Additional deaths linked to the authorities include Humberto Ortega, former Sandinista fighter Hugo Torres and attorney Carlos Cárdenas Zepeda, all of whom suffered inadequate care while detained.
The panel also recorded 161 enforced disappearances and called for the whereabouts of 29 still-unaccounted-for detainees to be disclosed. It urged the government to return Rivera’s body for a traditional burial and to allow independent investigations. The Nicaraguan officials have not responded to requests for comment.
Why it matters
The findings expose serious human-rights abuses in Nicaragua, raising international concern over state violence and lack of accountability.
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