IACHR grants precautionary measures to four Indigenous persons deprived of freedom in Nicaragua

February 6, 2026

Washington, DC—On February 4, 2026, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) adopted Resolution 9/2026, granting precautionary measures in favor of Rodrigo Bruno Arcángel, Olvier Bruno Palacios, Evertz Antonio Bruno Palacios, and Tony Alberto Bruno Smith in Nicaragua, after determining that their rights to life, personal integrity, and health face imminent risk of irreparable harm.

The four beneficiaries are members of an Indigenous people and are reportedly being deprived of their freedom at the Jorge Navarro Penitentiary Center. The requesting party alleged that they have been subjected to death threats and physical assaults, are under constant surveillance, face restrictions on speaking their Indigenous language, and are held in substandard conditions of detention. These circumstances have reportedly affected their physical and mental health, and they have not accessed timely, adequate medical care. The State has not yet provided the IACHR with any information.

After analyzing the factual and legal allegations, the IACHR found that the beneficiaries are being held in conditions that jeopardize their rights. It noted that Indigenous persons are disproportionately affected by the deprivation of freedom due to their particular relationship with their territory and community, as a result of which detention poses an obstacle to their right to cultural identity and may cause suffering that goes beyond that inherent to detention itself.

Accordingly, pursuant to Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR requests that the State of Nicaragua:

1. Adopt the necessary measures to protect the rights to life, personal integrity, and health of the beneficiaries, taking into account their status as members of an Indigenous people;
2. Adopt the necessary measures to ensure that the beneficiaries’ conditions of detention comply with applicable international standards, including:
   1. ensuring that they are not subjected to threats, intimidation, harassment, or assaults within the penitentiary center;
   2. ensuring that they are not subjected to reprisals for speaking their Indigenous language among themselves or during visits with family members
   3. ensuring immediate access to sufficient quantities of adequate-quality food to meet their nutritional needs, as well as continuous access to sufficient quantities of safe drinking water; and
   4. ensuring that a comprehensive medical assessment of their physical and mental health is conducted and that timely, specialized medical care is provided, and that the results of this assessment are communicated to their families and representatives;
3. Agree on the measures to be adopted with the beneficiaries and their representatives; and
4. Report on the actions taken to investigate the alleged events that gave rise to this resolution in order to prevent their recurrence.

The granting of these precautionary measures and their implementation by the State do not constitute a decision on any petitions that may eventually be submitted to the inter-American system concerning alleged violations of the rights protected under the American Convention and other applicable instruments.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 024/26

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