By Alegría Naranjo Araujo
This past March 3 marked the ninth anniversary of the assassination of Berta Cáceres, one of Latin America's most courageous human rights defenders. Her life, defined by a relentless defence of justice, continues to serve as a beacon of resistance against the violence faced by environmental defenders. Talking about Berta today is more urgent than ever, as Latin America continues to be the most dangerous region for environmental activists and indigenous rights defenders. In this context, Berta's story is not only about the struggle for nature conservation but also about the dignity of the people who have long cared for it.
Photo of Berta Cáceres. Credit: https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/remembering-berta-caceres-seven-years-on-the-fight-for-justice-continues/
Berta Isabel Cáceres Flores was born on March 4, 1971, in the Intibucá department of Honduras. From a young age, she dedicated her life to defending the rights of the Lenca people, an indigenous group residing in Honduras and El Salvador. In 1933, she co-founded the Civic Council of Popular Indigenous Organizations (COPINH), leading a fierce fight against mega-projects that threatened both the ecosystems of the region and the territorial rights of indigenous communities. Throughout her career as an environmental advocate, she stood fearlessly against powerful corporations, illegal loggers, and agro-industrial enterprises seeking to strip her people of their land, resources, and way of life.
Her most prominent struggle was against the “Agua Zarca” hydroelectric project, which aimed to build a dam on the Gualcarque River, a sacred site for the Lenca people. Berta exposed that this project, backed by the Honduran company DESA and international partners such as Sinohydro and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, was approved without consulting the local community, violating international law. Despite the immense violence, threats, and intimidation she faced, Berta led a year-long resistance against the project. Her efforts ultimately resulted in late 2013, when both Sinohydro and the International Finance Corporation withdrew from the project due to COPINH's relentless protests. However, this effort cost her life.
On March 3, 2016, three armed assailants entered Berta Cáceres' home. They assassinated her, an act that shocked the world and brought urgent attention to the escalating violence faced by environmental activists who dared to speak out for their communities. Her death highlighted the dangerous price of standing up for the land and rights of indigenous peoples. For years, her family, colleagues, and supporters fought tirelessly to ensure her murder would not remain unpunished. Finally, in 2021, the Honduran Sentencing Court found David Castillo, former manager of DESA, guilty as the intellectual co-author of her murder.
Berta Cáceres' death, though tragic, was not unexpected, as she had long denounced the persecution and threats she faced. "You have the bullet... I have the word ... The bullet dies when it's fired, but the word lives when it is echoed," she stated, underscoring her unwavering commitment to the cause despite the dangers. Cáceres also spoke out about the constant death threats she and other activists received, highlighting the climate of impunity and injustice in which defenders of the Lenca people's environmental rights lived.
The death of Berta Cáceres has become a powerful symbol of global resistance. Her unwavering denunciation of the extractivist economic model catapulted her to international recognition. In April 2019, during a protest by the Extinction Rebellion - an environmental movement demanding urgent action against the climate crisis - a boat bearing the Indigenous defender's name took centre stage at a protest at Oxford Circus in London, England, more than 8500 kilometres from her homeland in Honduras. This profound gesture of solidarity underscored the enduring power of her struggle and the global resonance of her fight against environmental exploitation.
Photo of Extinction Rebellion, where Berta Cáceres’ fight was highlighted. Credits: https://rabble.ca/environment/berta-caceres-powerful-symbol-resistance-extinction-rebellion/
On the other side of the world, her daughter, Bertha Zúñiga, General Coordinator of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), passionately stated on March 3, the anniversary of her mother’s death: “We continue to insist that justice for Berta Cáceres is not only about imprisoning the material killers but about dismantling all the networks of power that enabled this crime.”
Berta Cáceres' death remains a powerful symbol of resistance, especially within the context of Latin America, the deadliest region for environmental and indigenous rights defenders. In 2023, Colombia saw a heartbreaking 79 murders of activists, the highest number ever recorded by Global Witness since 2012. Over the last decade, at least 461 defenders were silenced in the country, their voices stilled by violence rooted in territorial conflicts, the drug trade, and extractive industries.
Honduras, where Berta fought for the land, holds the tragic distinction of having the highest rate of environmental activist deaths per capita. As tropical forests continue to be ravaged by agribusiness and narcotrafficking, those who dare to speak out face unimaginable danger. Berta’s death, however, is not the end. Her legacy lives on, fueling the fight against exploitation, and reminding us that the struggle she led is far from finished and more relevant than ever.
To close, I leave you with these powerful words from Berta herself:
"And I believe that in all of this, we have also learned that, even though it is very hard, and excruciating, we have also learned to fight with joy. To fight with joy, with hope, with faith. We have learned to fight for diversity. We have learned to fight with music, with ceremonies, with spirituality. Where our ancestors and spirits accompany us, our Nahuales. That is it. I believe that is what gives us strength. And knowing that there is no other planet to replace this one. There is only one."
Alegría Naranjo Araujo is a second-year student of Philosophy, Politics and Economics at King’s College London. She is from Quito, Ecuador. She is passionate about journalism and has written 2 articles for El Cortao’.
