Murder of Berta Caceres: The court found the construction executive guilty Crime News

A Honduran court has found David Castillo guilty of collaborating in the 2016 murder of indigenous activist Berta Caceres.

A court in the Honduran construction company, Berta Caceres, was found guilty in 2016 of being a collaborator in the killing of an indigenous environmental activist by a court on Monday, when Caceres ’supporters accepted it as a“ victory ”.

David Castillo is the former head of Desarrollos Energeticos (DESA), which led the $ 50 billion Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam project.

Caceres, a longtime environmental activist and indigenous leader, was shot dead in 2016 at a house in the town of La Esperanza after protesting against a project to build a dam on the Gualcarque River on the lands of his ancestral town of Lenca.

Lenka activists said the project would lead to major disruptions in water and food supply and that builders did not consult with the indigenous group in the area.

Seven other men they have already been convicted and convicted of playing a role in his murder, which led to widespread international condemnation and justice.

Castillo was originally blamed brain behind the murder, but was found guilty of conspiracy on Monday. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 3.

Caceres took environmental reasons from the early 1990s, starting with illegal logging, and won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Award for its efforts to organize resistance against the dam.

Rights groups say Carceres has been exposed to threats and harassment from DESA since at least 2013.

The evidence presented showed that Castillo had coordinated a “long campaign of surveillance, harassment and threats” against Caceres by the Expert Observation Mission, a coalition of international human rights and legal entities.

Since the trial began three months ago, thousands of followers they have rallied outside the court demanding Castillo’s conviction.

On Monday, a video on social media showed Caceres supporters cheering and applauding after the verdict was announced.

#Honduras This is how the sentence against businessman David Castillo Mejía feels #TOWN Berta for the murder of Cáceres. His daughter @ BerthaZuniga1 held a judgment outside the National Court in #Tegucigalpa #LasQueLuchan

????️ @GildateleSUR pic.twitter.com/a5Kgk99KN9

– Ruda (@ruda_gt) July 5, 2021

Caceres, an indigenous rights group formed by the Council of Peoples and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), said the decision was a “victory” for the people of Honduras.

“It means that criminal power structures did not ruin the justice system,” COPINH said Twitter.

Amnesty International rights groups in the UK have also approved the guilty verdict, but have said justice for Caceres “will never be completed until all those involved in the crime, including those who planned it, have been tried”.

“Until all those responsible are held accountable, other human rights defenders in Honduras will continue to lose their lives by raising their voices and defending the most vulnerable. Honduran authorities must end impunity,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, the group’s American director, said in a statement.

Last year, 20 human rights defenders were killed in Honduras, a report It was discovered by Frontline Defenders – making South America the third deadliest country for activists in the world.

Fourteen land and environmental advocates were killed in 2019, more than four people last year, according to the advocacy group Global witness.