What changed

B100313/2026

P10_TA(2026)0223

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

(2026/2765(RSP))

PE783.349

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

European Parliament resolution of 18 June 2026 on political prisoners in Nicaragua – the cases of Carlos Brenes, Salvadora del Socorro Martínez Aburto and Brooklyn Rivera (2026/2765(RSP))

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;

– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

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;

A. whereas since 2018, the Ortega-Murillo regime has dismantled democratic institutions and the rule of law, with constitutional reform abolishing political pluralism, while persecuting opponents, journalists, clergy, indigenous leaders, human-rights defenders and civil society;

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;

B. whereas the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua concluded that violations since 2018 may constitute crimes against humanity; whereas civic space is effectively closed, with over 5 600 NGOs and 80 % of civil society organisations closed and hundreds of thousands forcibly exiled;

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;

C. whereas human rights organisations document arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention and enforced disappearances; whereas since August 2025 the UN has registered three deaths in custody linked to inadequate conditions and medical care;

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;

D. whereas Carlos Brenes, detained in 2018 for civic protest and tortured, and Salvadora Martínez, were detained again in August 2025, held incommunicado and sentenced without due process to 15 years for ‘treason’; whereas Brenes has diabetes and was denied medication;

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;

E. whereas Brooklyn Rivera, Miskitu indigenous leader and president of the dissolved Yatama party, was detained in September 2023, forcibly disappeared for over 32 months and died in custody on 30 May 2026; whereas authorities refused to release his body and relatives seeking his remains were disappeared;

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;

1. Strongly condemns the Ortega-Murillo regime’s systematic repression, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, sham trials, exile, denationalisation, confiscation and crimes against humanity;

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

2. Demands the immediate, unconditional release of Brenes, Martínez and all political prisoners, the annulment of politically motivated convictions, information on their fate and whereabouts, and immediate proof of life;

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;

3. Urges authorities to grant all detainees family and lawyer access, medical care and international monitoring, applying the Nelson Mandela Rules; calls for UN human rights mechanisms to regain access to detention centres;

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

4. Calls for a prompt investigation into Brooklyn Rivera’s death, the return of his remains, the release of disappeared relatives and accountability;

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;

5. Condemns the persecution of Christian churches, indigenous peoples, civil society, opponents and their relatives; calls for the reinstatement of all arbitrarily dissolved organisations and respect for freedom of religion and belief;

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

6. Calls for democratic actors and civil society in Nicaragua and in exile to be supported; calls for the EU to ensure that no EU or multilateral funds strengthen the regime and to expand targeted sanctions against perpetrators, including Daniel Ortega and his inner circle;

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

7. Urges compliance with the IACtHR ruling; supports accountability, including through universal jurisdiction and International Criminal Court referral; recalls its position regarding Alessio Casimirri’s extradition;

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.

8. Calls on the Council and the Commission to trigger the democratic clause and suspend application of the Association Agreement in respect of Nicaragua while repression persists; stresses that Parliament will not engage with regime representatives within the newly established Association Parliamentary Committee;

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