Interview with Bertha Zúniga, four months after the assassination of her
mother, the indigenous leader Berta Cáceres.
On the night
of this past March 2nd, on the outskirts of the city of La Esperanza in western
Honduras, the indigenous leader and coordinator of Copinh, Berta Cáceres, was
felled by assassin bullets from those who wanted to silence her commitment and
struggle against the extractive model that privatizes and plunders the public
resources provided by nature . Four months later, her daughter Bertha says that
there are still a lot of things missing in order to guarantee truth and
justice.
- Four months after the assassination
of your mother, how is the struggle going so that this crime doesn’t remain in
impunity?
It has been
four intense and difficult months, not only the emotional impact of such a
great loss, but also because of all the barriers we have encountered on the
path towards profound justice and truth. We have confronted diverse obstacles,
mainly created by the State of Honduras.
Four months
after the assassination of my mommy they continue to exclude us from the
investigations and we do not have access to any information. The detentions
that have occurred seem to be a reaction by the State to try and get out from
under the strong pressure that has been generated at the national and
international level. There is no doubt that the intellectual
authors of the crime are still free.
authors of the crime are still free.
In addition
to demanding access to information, our family as well as Copinh (Civic Council
of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras) want to see something that
indicates that they are really taking steps to guarantee justice, for example,
stopping the hydroelectric project of Agua Zarca, analyzing all the factors and
elements that led to the death of my mommy, what relation is there between her
death and the attempt to stop the struggle of Copinh.
But not
everything is negative. There is a world wide mass clamor demanding justice
that has been a determining factor for achieving some victories. If there have
been detentions involving employees of the company Desarrollo Energéticos S.A.
(DESA) and active duty military, in a country where the rate of impunity is
extremely high, it is because there has been a strong mass pressure and many
expressions of solidarity with our family and with Copinh.
-The Global Action campaign by Copinh
on June 15 was a total success.
It was a
collective action that transcended borders and was a complete success. The
response was impressive. In at least 30 cities in 20 countries around the world
there were well attended actions in front of the Honduran Embassies or in
public places. There was a lot of participation and a marked creativity. It
helped support, at the worldwide level, the demands of our family and of Copinh
to create an independent and impartial investigative commission through the IACHR (Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights), and to definitively close the Agua Zarca project.
-It is a demonstration of a great
appreciation of Berta’s and Copinh’s struggle.
It is, and it
is mixed with deep feelings of indignation and the active desire of many people
to do something in light of this crime. These are very important spaces for our
family and for Copinh, as voices that tirelessly push the demand for justice.
This is why,
with Copinh, we are launching a “world wide Twitter storm” for July 4th with
the hashtag #JusticiaParaBerta #4MesesSinJusticia #ComisionIndependienteYa.
-
What
have been the most difficult moments?
We have
confronted institutions that, rather than imparting justice, are characterized
by high levels of impunity. They have closed off access to information and
continue to see the case of my mother in a very limited manner, without an
integral vision, and at all costs reducing the magnitude of her assassination.
Furthermore, the investigation has shown many irregularities and this feeds the
lack of confidence in it.
The State has
not reacted to the proposal to form an independent investigative commission.
Two months ago the IACHR declared that it is in favor of the proposal and is
available, but the State of Honduras has not even mentioned this possibility.
What reigns
only and always is silence towards the victims.
-
What
impression does this silence give you?
We have never
hidden our conviction about the burden of responsibility that the State has in
the assassination of my mother. Obviously the State is not going to investigate
itself, much less investigate its own negligence in the case.
But we also
believe that it is about a contest of strength between the social and peoples’
movements and the political and economic oligarchy in the country which is
represented by the State institutions.
If this
remains in impunity they will continue to murder many more people.
-
What
is happening with DESA and the Agua Zarca project?
The company
has tried to wash its hands of everything having to do with the assassination
of my mother. In all its communiques it leaves out the company name DESA,
signing instead as the Proyecto Hidroelétrico Agua Zarca (The Aguan Zarca
Hydroelectric Project). Despite the project being half-suspended we know that
DESA does not intend to close it.
A few days
ago on a television program on a national channel the guest was an engineer
from DESA. For more that an hour she spoke about the benefits of hydroelectric
energy, of how fantastic the Agua Zarca project will be for the Lenca community
while criminalizing the struggle of Copinh.
She said that
there are only about 20 people against the project and that those who oppose
Agua Zarca do not have to be recognized as a legitimate entity representing a
belligerent party in the conflict.
It is evident
that this is about a strategy to clean up the image of DESA and weaken Copinh.
The most shameful thing is that they didn’t, at any moment, refer to the
assassination of my mother.
-
A
mission from the Dutch bank FMO, one of the principal funders of the Agua Zarca
project, arrived in the project zone to gather opinions from the communities.
What information do you have about this visit?
To date, the
mission has not put out any public report. There was a previous pronouncement
that they were withdrawing from the investment but we don’t know what exactly
that means.
We have
information that they may triangulate the money to be able to continue to
finance the project. This concerns us. Meanwhile we continue the strong
campaign against any type of financing for Agua Zarca.
-
And
how is Copinh?
Copin has
suffered a hard blow and it has been difficult to recover the dynamics of the
work to channel all the indignation that the assassination has generated in the
communities. It is recuperating after this blow and it is again setting the
scenario for the struggle even though aggression against the organization is
growing.
There is much
enthusiasm and great firmness. Today, more than ever, there is a strong
commitment to continue and to strengthen the struggle at the community level.
-
These
have been difficult months for you, your sisters and brother, the family, for
Copinh. Have you been able to maintain a certain amount of balance between the
before and after of your mother’s assassination?
They have
been very complicated months and we have found ourselves doing things that we
never planned to do, things that we never thought could happen. But the lessons
from our mother have been very important. They inculcated us with the values to
continue on this path, and I have tried to maintain a certain balance even
though it has not been easy.
Last week I
finished my semester evaluations at the university in México where I lived at
the moment of the assassination. I was very far behind but I did it. I will
return to Mexico to continue my studies, but without leaving the struggle.
Wherever we
are, we will never abandon the struggle.
Even though our life has taken an unexpected turn, we continue with the
enthusiasm and energy of my mother.
Source:
LINyM
