Honduran justice ratifies sentence against seven of eight implicated in the murder of indigenous leader Berta Cáceres

Six years after the Honduran justice system convicted seven of the eight involved in the murder of environmentalist Berta Cácereswhich occurred in 2016, on November 25, the Criminal Chamber of that country ratified those sentences.

“So many years of waiting, so many forms of pain that go through while waiting for justice that, in the construction process, tears away little pieces of the soul. Today the sentences have been confirmed for seven of the 8 murderers on trial,” said Laura Zúniga, daughter of the deceased environmentalist, on her X account.

Cáceres was the visible face of the protests against the construction project of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam, on the Gualcarque River, Honduras.

She was murdered on March 2, 2016, in her home. The murder occurred after years of threats against the defender, for her opposition role in the dam.

With the crime, a criminal structure that sought to silence those voices was revealed: the Atala Zablah family, owner of the project, members of the army and the police, according to the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (Copinh).

In 2018 and 2021, the Supreme Court of Justice of Honduras convicted David Castillo, an employee of the Atala family, Douglas Bustillo, military officer and head of security for the Atala family company; Mariano Díaz, major of the Honduran army; Henry Hernández, military man; Elvin Rápalo, Oscar Torres and Edilson Duarte for the murder of Cáceres.

That those sentences were ratified was a fight that kept standing the environmentalist’s family. Today, the Court leaves the previous sentences final, which implies that they can no longer be modified or appealed in that judicial instance.

For Salva Zúniga Cáceres, daughter of the environmentalist, justice is still “partial”, since the intellectual authors of the crime have not been prosecuted.

In fact, the Criminal Chamber modified the aggravating factors in David Castillo’s sentence, which implies a reduction of his sentence.

Castillo was the president of the company Desarrollos Energético SA (DESA), in charge of the project. In 2022 he was sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison. On this occasion, the aggravating factors of his condition are modified, which implies a sentence of 20 years in prison.

“We will not rest until all those responsible, both materially and intellectually, face the consequences of their crimes and the crack of justice in the wall of impunity in Honduras deepens,” explained Copinh, which Cáceres co-founded.

In the case of the eighth person involved, Sergio Rodríguez, who worked as manager of the social, environmental and communications area of ​​DESA, his conviction was not ratified and went to the plenary session of the Supreme Court of Justice due to the lack of unanimity on his judgment.

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