Honduras is Guilty: Berta Caceres' Daughter Blames State Complicity for Murder

The daughter of murdered Honduran Indigenous leader Berta Caceres slammed the Honduran government Tuesday, accusing the state of complicity in the assassination plot against her mother and intentional manipulation of the investigation to protect the real perpetrators behind the heinous crime that has sparked outrage in Honduras and around the world.

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“We have the right to believe that you are part of the crime and hide the investigation of the victims to guarantee impunity,” said Berta Zuñiga in a press conference in Tegucigalpa Tuesday alongside members of her mother’s Indigenous organization, COPINH.

“You are responsible for this crime, and we hope that one day you will be prosecuted,” Zuñiga continued, referring specifically to top government officials.

Honduran Indigenous Groups demand justice for Berta Caceres. pic.twitter.com/l2680Tnraw

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) March 18, 2016

Zuñiga reiterated human rights defenders’ criticism of the investigation, which they say has focused alleged internal divisions within COPINH and criminalized Mexican activist Gustavo Castro, the sole witness to Caceres’ murder and victim of an assassination attempt. Barred from leaving the country, Castro fears for his life in Honduras and also fears authorities are trying to frame him for the murder.

She also slammed the Honduran government for refusing to comply with family members’ demands for an independent, internationally-led investigation into the murder to guarantee a thorough and impartial probe.

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Directly addressing Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez and Attorney General Oscar Chinchilla, Zuñiga added that what Caceres’ family members and supporters know with certainty nearly one month after her murder is that Honduran authorities failed in their task of protecting the renowned activist.

Before her assassination, Caceres had received repeated death threats and had been issued precautionary measures by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that mandated Honduran authorities protect her.

Zuñiga’s announcement comes on the heels of similar statements made by her sister Laura Zuñiga on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., last week, in which she condemned the lack of political will to get to the bottom of the murder.

Caceres’ children and other family members have faced multiple incidents of harassment since their loved one was shot dead in her home on March 3.