We have a new name! We are ASJ, and we are for a more just society. Learn more >
We are ASJ, and we are for a more just society. Read more about our partnership>
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:
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.
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ASJ (formerly known as AJS) changed our name in 2021 to reflect our partnership with Honduras and our Honduran roots. Learn more.