March 3, 2016
The following article was first published on our Honduran website in Spanish on the morning of March 3, 2016.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras — The Association for a More Just Society condemns the vile murder perpetrated early Thursday morning against indigenous leader and environmental activist Berta Cáceres.
We lament the cowardly act that robbed the life of this activist inside of her home, and we add our voice to the rejection of the violence and impunity that continues to attack Honduran families.
With this offensive crime, Honduras loses one of its most active voices who advocated for the vulnerable, the protection of our natural resources, and indigenous peoples.
We demand that the Honduran government open an immediate investigation to locate the whereabouts of the material and intellectual authors of Cáceres’ murder so they are brought to justice; the State must guarentee that this detestable act does not result in impunity like hundreds of other cases in Honduras.
Berta Cáceres was a prominent leader of the indigenous Lenca community and peasant (campesino) movement, through which she fought in favor of human rights.
She was one of the founders of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations in Honduras (COPINH), a civil society organization that she had led until her death.
Her fight for the rights of indigenous peoples and the environment earned her the Goldman Environmental Award in April 2015, the highest prize for environmental activists in the world.
