CUPE joins with CoDevelopment Canada and many other organizations in an urgent action expressing condemnation of the assassination of Berta Cáceres, general coordinator and co-founder of the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). Ms. Cáceres was killed in La Esperanza, Intibuca after several individuals broke into the house where she was staying and shot and killed her.
Urge Canadian and Honduran authorities to take action. Send a message now.
We are also very concerned for the safety of Gustavo Castro Soto, a Mexican colleague of Ms. Cáceres, who witnessed and survived her assassination, and who is now being held in Honduras.
Ms. Cáceres’ murder was witnessed by Gustavo Castro Soto, a Mexican citizen and colleague from the organization Otros Mundos Chiapas. Mr. Castro has fully participated in all aspects of the investigation into Ms. Cáceres’ assassination. On Sunday, March 6th, Mr. Castro attempted to leave Honduras legally and with protection from the Mexican Embassy in Honduras, but was detained by Honduran authorities at the airport under the argument that he had to give additional testimony, without having received prior notification of this. Honduran authorities are insisting on conducting additional interviews with Mr. Castro in Intibuca instead of from the safety of the Mexican Embassy in Tegucigalpa.
After assuring Mr. Soto verbally that he could leave Honduras after giving additional testimony, the Honduran Attorney General then issued a 30 day migratory alert requiring Mr. Soto to remain in Honduras, in spite of already having participated fully in the investigation.
Please join CoDevelopment and CUPE in signing the attached letter - see below.
The letter calls on the Canadian Government to urge the Honduran government to revoke the migratory alert that keeps Gustavo in Honduras and guarantee his safe and prompt return to Mexico; urge the Mexican government to maintain and strengthen measures for Gustavo’s physical and psychological wellbeing in Honduras and safe return to Mexico; urge for an independent investigation with international participation, given the weakness of the Honduran justice system to ensure a full and impartial investigation of Berta Cáceres’ assassination.
