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[Pages S1617-S1618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING BERTA CACERES
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, 3 years ago yesterday, Berta Caceres, an
indigenous rights activist in Honduras who had been a vocal opponent of
the construction of a hydroelectric dam that threatened the territory
of the Lenka people, was murdered in her home.
That cowardly crime, about which I have spoken many times, was the
culmination of years of harassment and threats against her life, and it
was by no means an isolated case. At the time, it was only the latest
of scores of assassinations of social activists who protested against
the confiscation of land, forced evictions, and infrastructure
development involving corrupt payoffs to circumvent environmental and
social safeguards, and against abuses by Honduran security forces.
Nobody has been punished for any of those other, similar, crimes.
I did not know Berta Caceres, but I knew of her. I remember when she
was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. I remember the
disgust and outrage I felt when I learned that she had been murdered.
I remember thinking that whoever would murder Berta Caceres, a
charismatic leader who was recognized not only in her native country
but around the world, must have been confident that they would never
see the inside of a jail cell, because in Honduras only a small
fraction of homicides, not to mention other violent crimes, ever
results in conviction. Impunity and the corruption that enables it is a
way of life there.
It was no surprise that in the days and weeks after Berta Caceres was
murdered, the Honduran police tried to cover it up. It was only because
of international pressure, including by the U.S. Embassy, that the
fraudulent ``investigation'' did not end there, as so often happens in
Honduras when the victim is not someone of notoriety.
Eventually, last November, after what seemed like interminable foot
dragging, a trial resulted in the conviction of seven of those
involved. That was a significant achievement, considering that absent
international pressure Berta Caceres's case would have faded from
memory like all the others. That trial also implicated top officials of
the hydroelectric company DESA, one of whom is still awaiting trial 3
years later.
I was a prosecutor before I became a Senator. I prosecuted many
murder cases. While premeditated murder is a horrific crime, it is
often relatively easy to prove. In Berta Caceres's case, there was a
lot of evidence. So to those who ask why, 3 years later, we are still
waiting for justice, I think the answer is obvious. There are powerful
forces within the Honduran Government who are beyond the reach of the
Honduran justice system, and the attorney general recognizes that.
So today, 3 years later, there are some who conceived of, or knew of,
the plan to murder Berta Caceres who have not been charged. The
question, 3 years later, is when will they be charged? When will they
be brought to justice?
Neither I nor the world have forgotten Berta Caceres. Our desire to
see justice done in her case is as strong today as it was 3 years ago
not only because of the importance it has for her family and her
community, but for the larger cause of justice in Honduras. Impunity is
a powerful, evil force, but I believe the whole truth about this crime
will eventually be known.
[[Page S1618]]
Beyond Berta Caceres's case, the central question is whether the
Honduran Government is serious about fighting the corruption that
permeates not only the justice system, but practically every crevice of
Honduran society and Government.
A government that is serious about fighting corruption would enact
the plea bargaining law that has languished for years, without which it
is extremely difficult to investigate and prosecute crimes involving
top public officials or corporate executives.
A government that is serious about fighting corruption would put an
abrupt end to legislation referred to as the ``impunity pact.'' That
legislation would bar the attorney general from bringing charges
against someone for stealing public funds until the Supreme Auditing
Tribunal, whose members are all loyal to the President, has
investigated and ruled on the alleged theft. It is a transparent
attempt to ensure that cases of public corruption are never prosecuted.
A government that is serious about fighting corruption would support
strengthening the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and
Impunity, not seek to ``renegotiate'' its mandate to eliminate or
substantially weaken its investigative authority.
The Honduran Government, which professes to be a partner of the
United States in fighting corruption, is not doing any of these things.
The inescapable truth is that it is not serious about fighting
corruption, which is apparent to anyone who is not easily fooled.
Until that changes and until all those involved in the murder of
Berta Caceres are brought to justice and until Hondurans who speak out
against corruption and impunity are no longer vilified and attacked,
the amount of assistance we provide to the Honduran Government will be
far less than it would otherwise be.
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