Nicaraguan government responsible for at least 8 deaths in custody since 2018, U.N. report finds

The Nicaraguan government is responsible for at least eight deaths in custody since 2018 when it began a major crackdown on dissent and a dismantling of democratic institutions, U.N. experts said on Tuesday (September 22, 2026).

The report from the U.N. Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua was the latest condemnation of the government of co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, which has crushed dissent since 2018 mass protests and recently canceled elections.

“A State that resorts to enforced disappearance and allows persons to die in its custody falls short of the minimum human rights standards required for credible democratic governance,” said Jan-Michael Simon, the group’s chair.

The report detailed inconsistencies in the government’s account of the in-custody death of Indigenous Miskito leader Brooklyn Rivera, who was imprisoned for 32 months with almost no contact with his family before he died in May.