Honduras arrests four suspects in killing of activist Caceres

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World | Mon May 2, 2016 8:21pm EDT

Honduras arrests four suspects in killing of activist Caceres

TEGUCIGALPA | BY GUSTAVO PALENCIA

Honduran police have arrested four people in connection with the killing of environmental and indigenous rights activist Berta Caceres, including an employee of a company whose project she helped block, the attorney general's office said on Monday.

Caceres, 43, who fought to stop the construction of hydroelectric plants and mines on indigenous territory, was fatally shot in La Esperanza, Honduras, in early March, sparking domestic and international outrage.

One suspect was a communications manager at Desarrollos Energeticos, or DESA, a local company behind the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project that Caceres was able to get halted after mobilizing residents and activists, the attorney general's office said.

DESA did not reply to Reuters' requests for comment.

Two of the other suspects were soldiers, one on active duty and the other now retired, a spokesman for the armed forces, Lenin Gonzalez, told reporters.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-honduras-crime-idUSKCN0XT1JJ

[Judi Lynn]

1. Damn them all. No doubt there were others, as well, to pull off such an evil act.

Hope somehow more will be determined connecting both the company, and the fascist government of Honduras.

Thank you for posting this.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Honduras: Lack of transparency in handling of Indigenous leader’s murder puts enquiry in jeopardy

Honduras: Lack of transparency in handling of Indigenous leader’s murder puts enquiry in jeopardy

2 May 2016, 16:54 UTC

The arrest of four suspects in the murder of human rights defender Berta Cáceres in Honduras raise a number of questions on how the investigation is being handled, said Amnesty International today after Berta’s relatives claimed authorities have kept them in the dark regarding any developments in the case.

“The blatant lack of transparency in the investigation into Berta Cáceres’ tragic murder, including the fact that her family has been systematically kept in the dark regarding any developments and the refusal to question high ranking officials is putting the whole investigation in jeopardy,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

“Authorities must urgently inform Berta’s relatives of the steps they are taking to find those responsible and ensure no stone is left unturned in this quest for justice. Anything less will send the message that human rights defenders can be killed and nothing will be done about it.”

More:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/05/honduras-lack-of-transparency-in-handling-of-indigenous-leader-s-murder-puts-enquiry-in-jeopardy/

[Judi Lynn]

3. Three Former Soldiers Held for the Murder of Honduran Activist Who Wanted to Stop a Dam

Three Former Soldiers Held for the Murder of Honduran Activist Who Wanted to Stop a Dam

By Andalusia Knoll

May 3, 2016 | 5:05 pm

When environmental activist Berta Cáceres was murdered in her home in Honduras on March 2, the country's chief prosecutor said the crime was probably a robbery gone wrong.

Two months of international outrage and significant pressure later and the authorities have announced the arrest of four suspects — two of whom are employed by the company building the massive dam she had dedicated her life to fighting, and three of whom are former soldiers.

"These arrests show us that the assassination of our compañera was coordinated by the government," said José Gaspar Sánchez, spokesman for the same activist group known as the COPINH, to which Cáceres also belonged. "Neither COPINH nor Berta's daughters were notified about these arrests which is very concerning for us."

Cáceres was the best known member of the COPINH, which stands for the Council of Indigenous Peoples of Honduras, and won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015 mainly in the name of their struggle against the Agua Zarca Dam.