August 9, 2021
For over two decades, Honduran activist Berta Cáceres defended indigenous communities' rights to live safely and flourish on their land. In 2016, she was assassinated for this dedication to justice. This July, an ex-dam company president David Castillo was found guilty for his role in the murder.
In this piece, ASJ lawyer Ruslan Espinal, who for years has accompanied members of Berta's family in the case, reflects on Berta's legacy and what this conviction means to him:
Ruslan: I have been immersed in Berta’s case since the day she was murdered, when the organization I work for as an attorney, the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), assigned me to help get security measures in place to protect Berta’s family and then to work with them as they pushed the Honduran justice system to investigate the case. It has been a long and dangerous five years as the family (and I) were threatened because they refused to give up. It took three years of perseverance for the Attorney General’s office to convict the seven men directly involved in carrying out Berta’s murder.
Many thought the gunmen’s conviction was as much justice as we could get; that pushing for the intellectual authors to be tried was beyond a reasonable expectation in a country like Honduras. But Berta’s family and those of us fighting for justice refused to accept that reality. We continued to push and investigate and speak out. And today, we are one step closer.
This is why I believe David Castillo was convicted:
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- The prosecutors from the Attorney General’s office, who brought David Castillo and the other seven men to justice, were committed to their task despite many threats and accusations. They chased down leads, coaxed reluctant witnesses, found concrete evidence linking Castillo to the crime, and argued confidently in court. In Honduras, fewer than 14 percent of all homicides are solved and the Honduran justice system has deep problems with corruption. But this case showed that the Honduran justice system can work when it is given the reforms, support and resources it needs.
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- Berta’s family and COPINH, the organization she founded, never gave up. They refused to be intimidated or ignored. Berta’s brother, Gustavo, worked alongside Attorney General’s investigators to track down leads and witnesses. Her mother spoke out at every press conference demanding justice despite her overwhelming grief and failing health. Her children organized protests attended by thousands. They refused to accept an unacceptable status quo.
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- Continuous international pressure to bring Berta’s murderers to justice made it difficult for the Honduran justice system to sweep the case under the rug.
I am proud of Berta’s family for persevering despite the odds.
I am proud of the Honduran prosecutors who did their job well, when few expected them to.
I am proud to work for an organization that believes justice in Honduras is possible and works to make it happen.
I am proud of so many Hondurans who keep Berta’s legacy alive by speaking out against injustice, defending our country’s indigenous communities, and defying those who tell them they are powerless.
David Castillo’s conviction is not the end of this journey. Evidence that emerged in the trial points to the involvement of others more powerful than Castillo, to a higher chain of intellectual authorship of the crime. All those involved in Berta Cáceres’s murder need to be brought to justice and I believe that goal is attainable.
Ruslan Yupanky Espinal is a Honduran-born human rights attorney. He currently works as an Official for Human Rights at the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ).
