human rights defender
Urgent support needed
(AI translated) Demand guarantees and respect for the personal integrity of Mr. Rodrigo Bruno Arcangel and the other three members of his family who are deprived along with him (Oliver Bruno Palacios, Evertz Antonio Bruno Palacio and Tony Alberto Smith), request precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and demand their prompt release.
HRD's year of birth
1971
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Peasant leader
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Environmental rights
- Indigenous peoples’ rights
- Land rights
HRD's geographical origin
Rural
HRD's bio and work
(AI translated) The Brunos family, descendants of the Mayangna indigenous communities, are all recognised forest rangers. Mr. Rodrigo Bruno Arcángel, aged 52, is the biological father of Oliver Bruno Palacios, Evertz Bruno Palacios, Víctor Bruno Palacios, and Lesther Palacios Vanegas; the latter is a miner and the only one still at large. Mr. Rodrigo Bruno Arcángel lived in the Musawas hamlet on the left side of the Waspuk river, opposite the Morava church of the said community, together with his relatives, and in his work as a forest ranger he denounced to the police of the sector the invasions of the indigenous communities by settlers; They are settling in the indigenous territories under the guise of raising cattle, but in reality it is to exploit the resources of the area where there are deposits of gold and timber with the connivance of the indigenous territorial authorities and local authorities, who were not happy with the work of the Brunos because they were obstructing and harming their interests, so they sought to implicate them in the case of a massacre that occurred in 2021 in the Kiwakunbay hill, a crime that they did not commit. The detention of the rangers is a form of retaliation for opposing and denouncing the invasion of settlers who steal the territories of the indigenous communities.
Current Status
In prison (sentenced)
Detained since
Jan 24, 2021
Charge(s)
- Other
- Possession of illegal material
Sentence
(AI translated) 24 years in prison
Latitude: 12.183752347983708
Longitude: -86.08590737952117
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Americas: Latin America and the Caribbean
Location of detention - City/Town
Tipitapa
Location of detention - Facility
Sistema Penitenciario Jorge Navarro, conocido como Carcel La Modelo
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
(AI translated) Violent detention with excessive use of force by the police and the army, which put the lives of Mr. Rodrigo Bruno Arcangel and his family at risk, violating the right to physical and psychological integrity of both them and the inhabitants of the Musawas community. Rodrigo Bruno Arcangel and his family, violating their right to physical and psychological integrity as well as that of the inhabitants of the Musawas community, uprooting them by transferring them to Managua (780 km away), making it difficult for the family to visit them due to the high costs they incur for each trip, which implies transport, food and lodging expenses for the family for one to three days, plus the cost of parcels for the four people detained. During the detention, Mr. Bruno was taken away almost naked, and one of his sisters was injured. He was detained without a court order, abducted from his natural judge, left incommunicado for several months, denied the protection of habeas corpus, violating his right to due process and the presumption of innocence, and denied the use of a translator during the judicial process, taking into account that his mother tongue is Mayagna and they speak very little Spanish. In addition, they were prohibited from communicating with their families and among the detainees in their own mother tongue. These park rangers are subjected to torture by the authorities of the Jorge Navarro Penitentiary System, known as La Modelo, where they are held in maximum security cells, and since May 2024 they have been prohibited from going out into the courtyard to receive sunlight or interact with other prisoners or with their own relatives who are in other cells. According to information from their relatives, both Mr. Bruno and the other park rangers have health complications that have not been attended to, such as hearing, heart, hypertension or vision problems, and other chronic health problems, and according to their relatives, the refusal to remove them from their cells is due to a six-month punishment by the prison authorities, but they did not explain the reason for this.
Recent case update / evolution
(AI translated) The technical defence of the Brunos Guadarbosques is being handled by the UDJ, despite the obstacles to the exercise of their defence, the case is at the cassation stage. It should be noted that the arrest was carried out in a violent manner with excessive use of force by the police and the army, which put the lives of Mr. Rodrigo Bruno Arcangel and his family at risk. Rodrigo Bruno Arcangel and his family, violating their right to physical and psychological integrity as well as that of the inhabitants of the Musawas community, uprooting them by transferring them to Managua (780 km away), making it difficult for the family to visit them due to the high costs they incur for each trip, which implies transport, food and lodging expenses for the family for one to three days, plus the cost of parcels for the four people detained. During the detention, Mr. Bruno was taken away almost naked, and one of his sisters was injured. He was detained without a court order, abducted from his natural judge, left incommunicado for several months, denied the protection of habeas corpus, violating his right to due process and the presumption of innocence, and denied the use of a translator during the judicial process, taking into account that his mother tongue is Mayagna and they speak very little Spanish. In addition, they were prohibited from communicating with their families and among the detainees in their own mother tongue. These park rangers are subjected to torture by the authorities of the Jorge Navarro Penitentiary System, known as La Modelo, where they are held in maximum security cells, and since May 2024 they have been prohibited from going out into the courtyard to receive sunlight or interact with other prisoners or with their own relatives who are in other cells. According to information from their relatives, both Mr. Bruno and the other park rangers have health complications that have not been attended to, such as hearing, heart, hypertension or vision problems, and other chronic health problems, and according to their relatives, the refusal to remove them from their cells is due to a six-month punishment by the prison authorities, but they did not explain the reason for this.
Any other relevant documents
(AI translated) Army and police detain indigenous leader and three Mayangnas rangers https://100noticias.com.ni/politica/126026-nicaragua-denuncian-detencion-indigenas-mayangnas/
Indigenous people attacked by settlers in Sauni As, Nicaragua https://ondalocalni.com/noticias/2613-indigenas-atacados-colonos-nicaragua/
Four Mayangna forest rangers sentenced to 22 years in prison https://confidencial.digital/nacion/condenan-a-22-anos-de-carcel-a-cuatro-guardabosques-indigenas-mayangnas/
Groups that violated the peace and life of the Mayangna indigenous peoples are presented https://www.el19digital.com/articulos/ver/titulo:143558-presentan-agrupaciones-que-violentaban-la-paz-y-la-vida-de-los-pueblos-originarios-mayangnas
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