US visa bans on 100+ Nicaraguan officials after death

The United States has imposed new visa restrictions on more than 100 Nicaraguan government officials and their family members, citing human rights abuses and the recent death of imprisoned Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures on Monday, June 8, 2026, stating the action was a direct response to the government's role in Rivera's death while in state custody.

With this latest action, the U.S. government has now taken steps to impose visa restrictions on over 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and their relatives for their complicity in the administration of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and co-president, Rosario Murillo. The identities of the newly sanctioned individuals were not released.

The move follows the death of Rivera, a 73-year-old Miskito leader and former lawmaker, who died in late May after being held in government detention since September 2023. Nicaraguan authorities stated Rivera died from organ failure due to a bacterial infection triggered by COVID-19. This explanation has been met with skepticism and condemnation from international human rights groups, Rivera's family, and United Nations experts, who have called...