To the collectives, organizations, and people that struggle in defense of the Earth
To the adherents of the sixth
To the free media
Compañeros and Compañeras,
From the University of the Earth in Oaxaca we unite in the screams of dignified rage and pain over the cowardice assassination of our sister in struggle and resistance, Berta Cáceres, that was carried out March 3 in Honduras by hired assassins defending the interests of the transnational corporations of dispossession.
Berta Cáceres is an indigenous woman defender of the rights of the people of Lenca and the campesino movements of Honduras, member of the Coordinación del Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras (COPINH). Her voice has crossed the borders and has strengthened the ties of resistance in defense of Mother Earth in Mesoamerica and South America. For her courageous and tireless struggle in defense of the earth, Berta was threatened on multiple occasions and persecuted at the judicial level.
We know that the assassination of Berta is another one of the assassinations of members of COPINH, and one more of the assassinations of the bravest fighters of our time that in different territories have raised their voices in defense of their communities. We are sickened that those of above take the lives from us, those of below.
At the time of the assassination of Berta, our compañero Gustavo Castro Soto was present and injured. Gustavo is also a tireless defender of the earth and territories, from his organization, Otros Mundos Chiapas/ Amigos de La Tierra Mexico, and from his continued effort to mark the struggles in distant territories as member of the Movimiento Mexicano de Afectados por las Presas y en Defensa de los Ríos (MAPDER), and of the Red de Afectados por la Minería (REMA) and el Movimiento Mesoamericano contra el Modelo Extractivo Minero (M4).
As the Unitierra of Oaxaca, we have collaborated with him in multiple learning sessions with community and student groups, where Gustavo has generously shared his perspectives on the dispossession and constructive tools for the defense of the earth. We unite in concern in an alert for his security, as a witness to the assassination, and we demand that he is given all the protection possible.
The struggle of Berta Cáceres will continue living in the pathways of the people and we will continue the tireless search for justice and autonomy.
Stop the Repression!
Just for Berta Cáceres!
Universidad de la Tierra, Oaxaca
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