Nicaragua: Indigenous Leader Still Missing After 13 Months
The daughter of indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera, who hasn’t been seen since September 2023, demands “proof of life.”
HAVANA TIMES -Tininiska Rivera, daughter of indigenous leader and former legislator Brooklyn Rivera, has asked the international community to exert pressure on the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo to provide “proof of life” for her father. Rivera has been in a state of “forced disappearance” since September 2023, when he was abducted by police. News of his daughter’s demands was first posted on the news platform Despacho 505.
During her participation in the 149th Assembly of the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) held in Geneva, Switzerland, Tininiska Rivera denounced her father’s disappearance and urged members of parliamentary bodies all over the world to intervene.
“I beg of all the parliamentarians of the world to take concrete action in the case of my father, so that the Nicaraguan authorities provide proof of his life and information regarding his whereabouts,” she demanded.
The IPU’s Human Rights Committee also expressed their concern for the situation of former deputy Nancy Elizabeth Henriquez James, who was detained days after Brooklyn Rivera.
Henriquez, president of the indigenous Yatama Party and formerly a substitute deputy in Nicaragua’s National Assembly, was sentenced in December 2023 to eight years in prison for the fabricated crimes of treason and spreading fake news.
Brooklyn Rivera, 72, is a prominent leader of the indigenous Miskito people and president of the indigenous-based Yatama Party. He is known for his struggles in defense of the rights of the indigenous peoples of Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast. Rivera was detained at his home in the city of Bilwi on September 29, 2023. Since that time, the family has been unable to learn of his whereabouts or condition.
His detention has been catalogued as a forced disappearance, a serious human rights violation. However, the Nicaraguan authorities have offered no response to the demands of the family and the international community.
Three days after his detention, reports emerged of Henriquez’ disappearance, after being arrested under similar circumstances. The court’s verdict and sentencing of her have been cited as an example of the persecution the Ortega regime is carrying out against indigenous leaders and political opponents.
The IPU, is a world organization of national parliaments that currently includes 181 members and 15 regional parliamentary organs. It is following closely the cases of Brooklyn Rivera and Nancy Henriquez, and has expressed its concerns over the situation in Nicaragua.
The stated objectives of the IPU include the defense of human rights through its Human Rights Committee.