HONDURAS: OIAD endorses joint statement by international organisations supporting the GIEI report on the assassination of Berta Cáceres
The OIAD, together with other international organisations, has signed a joint statement endorsing the report of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI), established under the auspices of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), regarding the assassination of Berta Cáceres. The OIAD took part in the accredited Observation Mission in this case, participating in the monitoring of hearings upon request from the Cáceres family’s lawyer, Víctor Fernández, whose level of risk had increased due to the visibility of the judicial proceedings.
The statement emphasizes that the GIEI report is a technical and legal instrument of high evidentiary value for the comprehensive clarification of the crime. It stresses that the assassination must be understood as part of a pattern of structural violence, systematic persecution, and criminalization of human rights defenders, rather than as an isolated incident. It further notes that sufficient elements exist to support the investigation and prosecution of the intellectual and financial authors, as well as state actors involved.
The statement also highlights the international responsibility of the Honduran State for failing to fulfill its duties of prevention, protection, and investigation, as well as the possible responsibility of financial actors for the unlawful use of resources linked to the Agua Zarca project. Finally, it reiterates the call for the full implementation of the GIEI’s recommendations and for ensuring truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-repetition, warning that failure to comply perpetuates impunity and the risks faced by those who defend human rights.
