And in Honduras, thousands of people gathered at the home of assassinated environmentalist Berta Cáceres to pay their final respects to one of the leading advocates for indigenous land rights in Honduras. Cáceres, who won the Goldman Environmental Prize last year, was gunned down at her home early Thursday. She had received repeated death threats over her opposition to mining and dam projects, including the Agua Zarca Dam. In a statement, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy called for the dam project to be abandoned. Cáceres’ supporters, including Lesly Flores, vowed to continue her struggle.
Lesly Flores: “I’m saying goodbye to her for the last time, but the truth is that Berta hasn’t died. Berta lives on in our hearts. They haven’t actually killed Berta; they haven’t killed her. Berta is a seed that we’ve been left with. For us, that seed will germinate day after day, and we, as women, will continue the fight. We are not scared.”