Nicaraguan opposition leader Mauricio Alonso Petri, abducted on 18 July, has died while in the custody of President Daniel Ortega’s security forces, according to statements from human-rights activists and U.S. officials. His family received his body on 25 August, sparking renewed criticism of Managua’s treatment of political dissidents. The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs called Alonso’s forced disappearance and death evidence of the "inhumanity" of the Sandinista government. A separate statement said Washington was "horrified" by the case and urged the Ortega administration to release all remaining political prisoners and allow independent investigations. Alonso’s death underscores mounting international pressure on Nicaragua, where hundreds of opponents, journalists and clergy have been detained or expelled since mass protests in 2018. Rights groups warn that the incident further isolates Ortega’s government and could prompt additional U.S. and regional sanctions.