Seven years since Berta Caceres's murder, the seeds of her resistance grow

[Judi Lynn]

Reportage. In Intibucá, as well as in the many communities and neighborhoods of Honduras, Berta Cáceres’s life, her words and her commitment to activism continue to be a role model for new generations.

written by Gianpaolo Contestabile



Location
LA ESPERANZA, Honduras

Published on
March 6, 2023

This week marks the seventh anniversary of the death of Berta Cáceres, a leader of the Lenca people.

On March 2, 2017, a hit squad entered her home to kill her. The murder happened between Intibucá and La Esperanza, two settlements that together form the highest-altitude town in Honduras. Here, at 1,700 meters above sea level, Berta had taken part in the founding of the Councils of Indigenous People’s Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) in 1993.

Today, COPINH includes more than 200 indigenous communities and 50 community organizations united by their struggle against capitalism, patriarchy and racism. In addition to her leadership of the Councils, Berta denounced the 2009 coup d’état and fought on the front lines to defend the Gualcarque River from the construction of the Agua Zurca dam in the Rio Blanco community.

The criminal investigation led to the arrest of seven people, identified as material perpetrators of the murder. Together with the hitmen, David Castillo was also arrested, a military intelligence officer and executive of the Desa company, promoter of the Agua Zurca hydroelectric project. According to the reconstruction of the events by the prosecutor’s office, Castillo used his resources and contacts to monitor Cáceres and the resistance movement against the dam.

According to Berta Zuñiga Cáceres, Berta Cáceres’ daughter and current general coordinator of COPINH, one shouldn’t put too much faith in the judicial process: “We have already seen in Honduras what happened with other trials where people are convicted, go to the appeals court and then get released,” she says. Moreover, some of those behind the murder remain unpunished to this day. These include members of the Atala Zablah family, who have shares in financial institutions, soccer teams and real estate companies and who were on Desa’s board of directors.

More:
https://global.ilmanifesto.it/seven-years-since-berta-caceress-murder-the-seeds-of-her-resistance-grow/

(If you were here years ago, you'll remember the multi-lingual, incomparable E.Ferrari, who posted here for years, used to communicate with Berta Cáceres. E.Ferrari was an irresistable target for right-leaning trolls who used to infest all the threads here pertaining to Latin America on a daily basis to do persistent battle more focused people. )

[Marcus IM]

1. Thanks for posting this.

I do remember E Ferrari. Today's du is nothing like the old du. So many well informed and engaged good liberals and progressive posters juried out by neo-liberal bullies. Sad.