Nicaragua dictatorship keeps six relatives of Brooklyn Rivera in 'forced disappearance'

Six family members of Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera are reportedly being forcibly disappeared by Nicaraguan authorities after traveling to claim his body. The group disappeared on May 31, 2026, after journeying from Bilwi to Managua to retrieve Rivera's remains.

Rivera, 73, died on May 30, 2026, after enduring over 970 days of illegal detention. Sources close to his party, Yatama, indicated that authorities at the Institute of Legal Medicine refused to release his body for burial in his home of Sandy Bay, Bilwi, as per his wishes. Instead, the government allegedly ordered his internment in Managua, effectively "kidnapping" his body until burial.

The individuals reportedly detained include Rivera's sister, Alda López Bryan; his friend, Jorge Webster Rojas; his nephew, Kurney Valle Bushy; his cook, Florencia Sarmiento; another nephew, Jorbis Hendy López; and Glenis Panting Coleman. Initially, Waylandin Rivera, Brooklyn Rivera's son, was thought to be among the detainees, but he was later confirmed to be in a secure location. He had reportedly been at the hospital when his father died and heard rumors of potential arrest if he attended the funeral.

A source linked to the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) Secretariat suggested the government feared potential mobilizations and disturbances in the North Caribbean region following Rivera's death, deeming funeral arrangements in Sandy Bay imprudent. However, Yatama sources maintain that an atmosphere of "sadness and much tension" prevails in Nicaragua's North Caribbean, with a noticeable police presence in Bilwi.

The UN Office for Human Rights has joined international condemnation of Rivera's death, expressing "very serious concerns" about the causes. Spokesperson Marta Hurtado highlighted the lack of information regarding Rivera's whereabouts until four days before his reported death, questioning the circumstances of his demise following prolonged arbitrary detention and forced disappearance.

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We have very serious concerns about the causes of his death, precisely because nobody knew his whereabouts until four days before the date of his supposed death.