GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The U.S. called for the release of imprisoned Nicaraguan Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera on Friday after the government published photos of him in the hospital in critical condition.
Rivera, a leader of the Miskito people who have been at odds with the ruling Sandinista government for decades, has been imprisoned since Sept. 29, 2023 as part of a years-long crackdown on dissent. His family has said he is imprisoned for political reasons and that the government hasn’t presented formal charges.
At least a handful of prisoners have died in the Nicaraguan government’s custody in recent years as the government has imprisoned hundreds of journalists, activists and political opposition.
The Nicaraguan government said in January that it would release some prisoners, following pressure on its government in the wake of the U.S. military operation to capture Venezuela’s then-President Nicolás Maduro. But there has been little transparency from the government following the announcement.
“This repression, violence and inhumanity is abhorrent,” the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs posted on social platform X Friday. “We reiterate our call for his and all political prisoners’ unconditional release NOW.”
