On 24 April 2023, Mr. Brooklyn Rivera, Indigenous leader and at the time Deputy of the National Assembly for the YATAMA23 political party, was not allowed to board a plane and return to Nicaragua following his statement24 and participation at the 22nd Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues UNPFII), held in New York from 17–28 April 2023.

Mr. Rivera publicly announced in late May 2023 that he had returned to the country clandestinely. On 29 September 2023, he was arbitrarily arrested and since that date he has reportedly been held without charges, his relatives have had no contact with him, and the authorities have not officially acknowledged his imprisonment (A/HRC/55/27, para. 61). 80. In December 2023, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed25 concern about Mr. Rivera’s physical integrity and the fact that his fate and whereabouts remained unknown since his arrest, in a situation amounting to enforced disappearance. The High Commissioner for Human Rights and OHCHR’s Regional Office for Central America have called for Mr. Rivera’s immediate release.26,27 In October 2023, the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights issued precautionary measures in favour of Mr. Rivera.28 The Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued provisional measures regarding the Indigenous leader and his relatives in December 2023 and February 2024.29 81. On 17 April 2024, Ms. Tininiska Rivera Castellón, daughter of Mr. Brooklyn Rivera and indigenous human rights defender, delivered a statement at the 23rd Session of the UNPFII30 where she demanded proof of life of her father and his release. In her statement, she also noted having received threats at the Forum. According to information received by OHCHR, Ms. Rivera Castellón has been harassed and surveilled by the authorities since May 2023. Ms. Rivera Castellón has reportedly been dismissed from her job, had to interrupt her studies, and her bank accounts have been frozen.