On Wednesday, Latin American and Caribbean Action Network (LACAN) activists interrupted a meeting of The Council of the Americas – which brought together several U.S. ambassadors assigned to Central American countries – to demand justice for the deaths of Honduran indigenous activists Berta Cáceres and Nelson García Laínez. The deaths of the two members of Consejo Cívico de Pueblos Indígenas de Honduras (COPINH) happened within two weeks of each other.
Cáceres worked to stop DESA from building a hydroelectric dam on the Gualcarque River – a project expected to upend the lives of the Lenca indigenous group. A week before her death, Cáceres received death threats for fighting the construction. And in February, the company released a press release denouncing Cáceres and her “constant lies.”
The Council of Americas is an international business organization advocating for fewer regulations on trade and finance. The group also focuses on influencing public policy across the continent. In LACAN’s short Facebook video, activist Peter Bolton’s voice is heard as he crashes the Washington, D.C. meeting. “He has blood on his hands,” Bolton said, referring to the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras James Nealon. “He has the blood of Berta Cáceres. He has the blood of Nelson García.”
José Espada joins him, but addresses the room in Spanish. “I am here for the Lencas,” he said. “I am the voice of the Lenca indigenous group. Justice for Berta Cáceres.” As Espada continues delivering his message, Bolton yells and is escorted out of the room.
Watch the video below:
Activists in DC disrupted the US Ambassador to Honduras’s Speech Demanding Justice for Berta Cáceres
Posted by Latin America & Caribbean Action Network on Wednesday, March 16, 2016