Honduras Recalls Murder of Environment Activist Berta Caceres

The Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) on Tuesday remembers the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Lenca Indigenous leader Berta Caceres.

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International organizations such as Ecologist in Action, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and Global Witness signed a letter calling for justice in this case.

Caceres fiercely opposed a hydroelectric project granted to the company "Desarrollos Energeticos" S.A. (DESA) on the Gualcarque River, for it endangered the livelihoods of Lenca Indigenous communities.

In 2019, seven people were convicted and sentenced for her murder. DESA ex-President David Castillo was accused of being the "intellectual author" even though reports connected other high-ranking officials in the events.

COPINH warned that Castillo's lawyers had taken measures on repeated occasions to cause delays in the judicial process to date.

On March 3, 2016, four hired killers entered Caceres' home in La Esperanza village and murdered her. Later Investigations revealed that DESA officials planned the crime executed by the Military. 

Between 2017 and 2020, Indigenous peoples filed nearly 35 complaints with the Prosecutor's Office about murders and menaces against human rights defenders. No legal actions have been taken against the alleged aggressors. 

"This tragic event was a hard blow not only for human rights defenders in the Americas but for the whole world...Caceres has become a symbol of hope and courage for all people fighting for justice and dignity," COPINH stressed.