EIA and 250+ Organizations Call on U.S. Secretary of State for Profound Change in Honduras

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and a coalition of environmental, human rights, faith-based and Indigenous organizations issued [a letter this week] to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry calling for immediate action in the aftermath of [Berta Cáceres’ assassination].

Berta Cáceres, winner of the prestigious 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize, was a visionary Indigenous and environmental rights leader who bravely and effectively led efforts to protect Indigenous peoples and the environment from large-scale development projects. She was killed on March 3, 2016 by armed men.

In its letter, more than 250 organizations ask for “…a response from the State Department that is not business as usual but a profound change of direction towards improving the abysmal situation of human rights in Honduras.” The letter offers strong recommendations for action that can help lead to the identification and prosecution of the intellectual and material authors of Ms. Cáceres murder, help to ensure this case does not linger in impunity, and ultimately offer greater protection to all environmental and human rights defenders in Honduras.

“The Honduran government must end its persecution of human rights and environmental defenders," said Kate Horner, EIA’s Forests Campaign Director. "In the aftermath of the horrific assassination of Berta Cáceres, the U.S. can demand and offer support for a prompt and quality investigation, ultimately helping to end the impunity that perpetuates violence against our colleagues in Honduras.”

The letter asks that the State Department support an independent international investigation led by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) into Ms. Cáceres’ murder, insist that Honduran judicial authorities carry out their duties to effectively and promptly investigate… and [follow] lines of inquiry that take into account the context of Cáceres' work and situation of risk. In addition, the coalition asks that the State Department press the Honduran government to comply with the precautionary measures granted on March 5 by the IACHR and provide immediate and carefully consulted protection to the Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras (COPINH), the organization Ms. Cáceres co-founded and led.

The letter calls on Honduras to abandon the Agua Zarca dam project that Ms. Cáceres and COPINH rallied against, and for which, according to her family, she was murdered. The coalition also asks that the Honduran government also recognize that “the pace and process by which it is facilitating the extraction and trade of natural resources by national and international investors is contributing to social conflict and human rights violations.”

“Honduras has consistently failed to meet its obligation to carry out free, prior, and informed consent for investment projects in Indigenous territory, has pushed through destructive mining legislation and allocated permits for project development that are far out of line with international best practices, said Annalise Udall Romoser, Latin America Coordinator for EIA’s Forest Campaign. “Leaders like Ms. Cáceres are the last defense against such misguided actions and must be protected if Honduras’ natural resources and people are to be safeguarded.”

View the letter in [English here]. Versión [en español].

Contact:
Maggie Dewane, Press Officer, (202) 483-6621, mdewane@eia-global.org