Berta Caceres' Relatives: No Confidence in Official Investigation

By teleSUR

03 May 16

In a statement, relatives of the assassinated Honduran activist said they have been excluded from the investigation.

elatives of Berta Caceres, Indigenous and environmental leader murdered in Honduras March 3, reaffirmed their distrust of the public prosecutor after having been excluded from the investigation, regarding the arrest of four suspects Monday.

"They excluded us from the investigation process from the beginning, we have no way of knowing whether the arrests are the result of exhaustive proceedings, nor do we know whether these include the masterminds at all levels," they said in a statement.

They also stated that the alleged involvement of active and retired military linked to the company DESA demonstrates the involvement of state agents in the murder of Caceres.

Children and other relatives of Berta Caceres learned of the arrests through the media "and not through the channels they are entitled to by law," the statement said.

The Honduran Office of the Public Prosecutor reported that 10 coordinated raids were carried out Monday in connection with Caceres' homicide in the capital Tegucigalpa, as well as in La Ceiba, and Trujillo.

The four suspects are scheduled to appear in court in the following days, the OPP added.

Caceres' death prompted massive international condemnation and led to huge protests in Honduras, a country that currently has the one of highest murder rates in the world.