HRF condemns the Ortega-Murillo regime’s systematic use of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention to silence dissidents. The regime must immediately release opposition lawmaker and indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera and guarantee his safety and integrity after more than two years without information on his condition.

Brooklyn Rivera, a 73-year-old lawmaker and representative of the indigenous Miskito people, was kidnapped from his home by the regime in September 2023. Since then, he has been held incommunicado, and his whereabouts have remained unknown, even as sources have reported that he faces serious health issues.

Enforced disappearances are a regular tactic of the Ortega-Murillo regime. Journalist Fabiola Tercero was kidnapped in July 2024 after security agents raided her home without a warrant. In November 2025, the regime released an interview with Tercero to claim that she had been with her family during that time, but provided no independent means of verifying her well-being. HRF has submitted a petition on Tercero’s behalf to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

The regime in Nicaragua has been widely accused of committing systematic human rights violations that amount to crimes against humanity, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture. Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo, and other officials face arrest warrants in Argentina, where victims filed a case under the principle of universal jurisdiction.