WOLA Calls for the Immediate Release and Medical Attention for Nicaraguan Political Prisoner Brooklyn Rivera

The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) expresses urgent concern regarding the situation of Nicaraguan political prisoner Brooklyn Rivera, a Miskito indigenous leader subject to years of persecution in the country.

For more than 900 days following his detention on September 29, 2023, Mr. Rivera’s whereabouts, health status, and detention conditions remained unknown, constituting a prolonged enforced disappearance. On May 1, a group of UN experts called on the Nicaraguan government to provide proof of life of Mr. Rivera.  The government finally released a statement about Mr. Rivera’s health, as well as photographs of him, on May 27. The materials raise a serious alarm about his physical condition, as he appears visibly weakened and in urgent need of additional medical attention.

Mr. Rivera’s case underscores the grave risks faced by political prisoners in Nicaragua and the broader pattern of repression and abuse carried out by the Ortega-Murillo government. The UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua’s February 2026 report underscored the situation of other arbitrarily detained older persons, several of whom have serious and chronic health conditions 

As the family has requested, WOLA calls on the international community, including the United States and regional governments, to take immediate humanitarian and diplomatic action to:

• Demand the immediate release of Brooklyn Rivera and all political prisoners.
• Press for urgent humanitarian and independent medical access for Mr. Rivera;
• Advocate for guarantees allowing Mr. Rivera to leave Nicaragua to receive necessary medical treatment in a third country; and
• Raise his case in all relevant bilateral and multilateral diplomatic forums.

The international community must act swiftly to help prevent further deterioration of Mr. Rivera’s health and to secure his safe release.