Slain Honduran activist was target of smear campaign, files show
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — For months before her death, environmental activist Berta Caceres complained of repeated threats warning her to stop leading protests opposing a hydroelectric project on her Lenca people’s ancestral lands.
The killing prompted widespread condemnation and calls for an independent investigation, in part due to Caceres’ international prominence as the winner of the prestigious San Francisco-based Goldman Environmental Prize.
Caceres’ slaying remained officially shrouded in mystery until Monday, when authorities arrested four people in the case, including a security employee working on behalf of Desarrollos Energeticos SA, or DESA, the company carrying out the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project.
The fact that those arrested have DESA and army ties was no surprise to Caceres’ allies and relatives, who have long suspected the company and elements of Honduras’ government and military of being behind her killing.
“These court documents go beyond just showing the contempt the dam company holds toward Berta Caceres and her organization,” said Billy Kyte, a senior campaigner for land and environmental defense at London-based Global Witness, which acquired the records through lawyers working with Caceres’ people.