Brooklyn Rivera, a leading Miskito political figure, died in Nicaraguan state custody at age 73 after being imprisoned since 2023 amid the government's crackdown on Indigenous autonomy. The health ministry attributed his death to complications from Covid, though family members dispute this account and question his treatment.

Rivera's arrest came after his party Yatama was barred from elections and he criticized President Daniel Ortega's government while abroad. Once an ally of Ortega following his 2007 return to power, Rivera later opposed what he viewed as infringements on Indigenous lands. Government-released photos showing him emaciated and intubated sparked international condemnation from groups including Amnesty International and the U.S. State Department.

The United Nations has documented 124 cases of arbitrary detention of Indigenous leaders, with at least 46 killed in Caribbean coast violence since 2018. Rivera's death underscores the systematic dismantling of Indigenous political power under Ortega and Murillo's leadership, representing one of the most prominent activist deaths in Nicaraguan custody.

His daughter Tininiska Rivera called for an independent investigation and demanded the return of his remains for traditional Miskito burial, criticizing the government's narrative about pre-existing health conditions that she says didn't exist when he was detained.