What changed

B100293/2026

B100313/2026

European Parliament resolution on political prisoners in Nicaragua –Nicaragua: the cases of Carlos Brenes, Salvadora del Socorro MartínezMartinez Aburto and Brooklyn Rivera

(2026/2765(RSP))

– having regard to Rule 150 (5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. Whereas the UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) concluded that the Ortega-Murillo regime is committing crimes against humanity and has dismantled the separation of powers, notably through the 2025 constitutional reform abolishing political pluralism and removing the prohibition of torture;

A. whereas Brooklyn Rivera, Nicaraguan indigenous Miskitu leader and politician, died on 30 May 2026, in government custody; whereas Rivera was arbitrarily detained and subsequently forcibly disappeared in September 2023 by members of Nicaragua’s National Police;

B. whereas Indigenous Miskitu leader Brooklyn Rivera died in state custody on 30 May 2026 after nearly 3 years of enforced disappearance; whereas the EU expressed concern over his death and called for a transparent investigation;

B. whereas retired Nicaraguan army colonel Carlos Brenes and his wife, Salvadora del Socorro Martinez Aburto, were sentenced to 15 years in prison for the alleged crime of “treason” on 1 April 2026; whereas Brenes and his wife were arbitrarily detained by the Nicaraguan authorities on 14 August 2025;

C. Whereas Carlos Ramón Brenes Sánchez was arbitrarily detained in 2018 for his participation in civic protests, subjected to torture and threats against his family, and released in 2019; Whereas Brenes and his partner Salvadora del Socorro Martínez Aburto, were again arbitrarily detained in August 2025; whereas as of June 2026 they remain victims of enforced disappearance, with no proof of life and official information on their whereabouts or conditions of detention;

C. whereas other political prisoners are dying while in custody; whereas in August 2025, the UN reported three other deaths in custody that were linked to poor detention conditions and insufficient medical care;

D. whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted precautionary measures and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) also ordered provisional measures for them;

D. whereas since 2018, the Nicaraguan regime has systematically persecuted political opponents; whereas the regime is financing the political repression of political opponents through misuse of public funds and is also targeting exiles through a transnational and surveillance network;

E. Whereas the IACtHR documented that in 2018-2019 Brenes was held in solitary confinement without adequate medication despite suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes; whereas recent reports indicate deterioration of his health;

E. whereas the Nicaraguan government traffics migrants to systematically increase migration pressure on the US, for financial profit or to fuel remittance payments; whereas the regime has turned the country into a state sponsor and commercial hub for human smuggling;

F. Whereas since 2018 Nicaragua has closed around 80 % of civil society organisations and stripped at least 452 individuals of their nationality, leaving many stateless.

Expresses its dismay at the death in custody of Brooklyn Rivera; calls for a prompt, effective, thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of Rivera’s death; calls on the Nicaraguan government to clarify the whereabouts of Rivera’s six disappeared relatives;

Strongly condemns the Ortega-Murillo regime’s systematic repression and crimes against humanity;

Calls on the Nicaraguan government to ensure that Carlos Brenes, his wife and other political prisoners have access to independent legal counsel and adequate medical care and are protected against torture and ill-treatment;

Condemns the arbitrary detention and death in custody of Brooklyn Rivera; demands a prompt, independent, impartial investigation into his enforced disappearance and death, in line with the Minnesota Protocol, and full accountability for those responsible;

Calls on the Nicaraguan government to end repression and release all individuals who have been arbitrarily arrested or detained for political reasons;

Deplores the reported 15-year sentence imposed on Carlos Ramón Brenes Sánchez and Salvadora del Socorro Martínez Aburto; demands proof of life, disclosure of their whereabouts, access to adequate medicine and their immediate release;

Is worried that the prisoners release that the Nicaraguan regime announced in January 2026 is only a tactical move rather than a shift in the government’s repressive policies as it has not led to full, effective liberty;

Calls for the release of all political detainees and clarification of the whereabouts of all victims of enforced disappearance, including the six relatives of Brooklyn Rivera;

Calls on the EU to engage with the Nicaraguan authorities to end their systematic repression of political opponents and indigenous leaders;

Urges Nicaragua to implement the recommendations of the GHREN; calls on the EU and Member States to support its renewal and adequate resourcing;

Notes that more than a fifth of Nicaragua’s population has already left the country; notes that according to various surveys, more than half of Nicaragua’s population wants to emigrate; is concerned that the deterioration of the political and economic situation will only lead to further migration;

Calls on Nicaragua to guarantee the safety of human rights defenders who remain in Nicaragua; highlights the essential role played by civil society, human rights defenders and journalists in and outside of Nicaragua; reaffirms its solidarity with the Nicaraguan people and support for democracy, human rights and the rule of law;

Strongly condemns the weaponisation of migration by the Ortega-Murillo regime; emphasises that migration is becoming a systemic geopolitical challenge;

Calls on the EU and its Member States to strengthen support for democratic actors and civil society in Nicaragua and in exile, and to support independent forensic investigations into Rivera’s death;

Notes that the Nicaraguan government has been unresponsive to targeted sanctions imposed by the US, the EU and Canada;

Urges the Council to expand sanctions against officials responsible for human rights violations;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Nicaraguan authorities.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, Commission, the VP/HR, the Member States and the Nicaraguan authorities.