US demands Nicaragua free relatives of indigenous leader who died in custody

The United States has called for the immediate and unconditional release of eight individuals detained in Nicaragua, describing the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo as a "dictatorship." The U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs stated on X that these individuals were held simply for demanding the return of Rivera's remains to his family and community.

The U.S. officials highlighted that the "Murillo-Ortega dictatorship" allowed Rivera, a former National Assembly deputy and leader of the Yatama party, to die in state custody. He had been forcibly disappeared since September 2023. The State Department emphasized that mourning and demanding dignity for the deceased are not crimes, a sentiment echoed by the U.S. Embassy in Managua on social media.

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The dictatorship must release these eight remaining individuals immediately and unconditionally.

Rivera, 73, a prominent voice from the Caribbean Coast and leader of the indigenous party Yatama, was arrested on September 29, 2023. He died on May 30, 2026, in intensive care after being hospitalized for respiratory complications on March 7. Initially, six of Rivera's relatives were detained on May 31, 2026, after traveling to Managua to claim his body. Two more individuals were arrested days later, accused of facilitating the escape of one of Rivera's sons.

United Nations experts and human rights organizations have denounced the forced disappearance of eight relatives and associates of Rivera who sought his remains. This incident occurs amid broader concerns about human rights in Nicaragua. In February 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled Nicaragua, along with Cuba and Venezuela, as "enemies of humanity," criticizing the Sandinista government's consolidation of power and suppression of dissent. Over the past seven years, at least seven critics of the regime, including General Humberto Ortega and former Sandinista commander Hugo Torres, have died in state custody.

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Mourning is not a crime. Demanding dignity for the deceased is not a crime.