Honduras: Alta es la noche y las copinhas vigilan // "She brought us here, Bertita did" - Women of COPINH camped out demanding justice

Cerca de 150 mujeres del COPINH, acompañadas por niñas, niños y algunos de sus compañeros llegaron ayer lunes 4 de abril a Tegucigalpa, capital de Honduras.
Llegaron coloridas, cansadas, sudando desde montañas, caseríos, aldeas. Son indígenas lencas, son mujeres campesinas, muchas jóvenes, todas las que luchan por ríos, montañas, espíritus cuerpos y tierra.
Son convocadas por el espíritu de lucha de Berta Cáceres Flores, sus palabras y actos de rebeldía. “Ella nos tiene aquí, Bertita” nos dice una compañera mientras se seca las lágrimas con el dorso de la mano. El duelo se manifiesta aún con nitidez en los rostros de las compañeras.
“Nosotras la vimos pocos días antes que la mataran”, nos dicen compañeras de Río

Lindo, ella llegó para cuando nos desalojaron, nos daba fuerza, mucha esperanza. Desde allá vinieron para devolver esa fuerza a Berta. Están acampadas desde la madrugada de este martes cinco de abril enfrente del Ministerio Público, lugar donde una y otra vez se han realizado gestiones para la investigación y esclarecimiento del crimen de Berta Caceres Flores, y de donde una y otra vez no han respondido nada.

Las exigencias son las que se han establecido desde el día primero de su asesinato:
Comisión independiente de investigación con participación de las víctimas, es decir la familia de Berta y el COPINH.
Cancelación inmediata y definitiva del proyecto Agua Zarca que llena de luto el río Gualcarque
Respeto a la autonomía territorial, cultural y política del pueblo Lenca y a su organización el COPINH.

Mientras se atan con cadenas, y pintan de rojo las paredes del Ministerio Público gritan sus consignas de justicia y libertad. Llenas de rabia y verdad interpelan a los funcionarios insensibles a estas mujeres: “Ustedes tienen las manos llenas de sangre de nuestra compañera”.

El movimiento feminista de Tegucigalpa y otros movimientos y personas de esta ciudad respaldan la acción de las COPINHAS llegando a ese espacio para acompañar y compartir lo que se tiene y necesita para el campamento de mujeres.

Las compañeras llegan a esta ciudad, justo en el momento en que el escándalo de cómo altos jerarcas de la policía confabularon el asesinato de uno de sus máximos representantes llena la opinión pública. Esa policía es la misma a la que el estado de Honduras dice hacer responsables de la seguridad de este pueblo, de las mujeres.

Las COPINHAS no sólo están llenas de razón histórica por venir de un pueblo que por siglos ha sido atacado por la dominación racista, ellas instalan su grito de justicia en un momento en que el país ya no soporta el cinismo de sus gobernantes y la violencia de sus instituciones. El asesinato de Berta Cáceres Flores es el Ya Basta de este pueblo.

Desde aquí se hace un llamado para respaldar las acciones de las COPINHAS en esta ciudad, pueden hacer llegar sus saludos, aportes, y muestras de solidaridad a la Red Nacional de Defensoras.
Tegucigalpa, 5 de abril del 2016, a 34 días del asesinato de Berta Cáceres Flores.
https://copinh.org/article/alta-es-la-noche-y-las-copinas-vigilan/   

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"She brought us here, Bertita did" - Women of COPINH camped out demanding justice 
 

Posted: 06 Apr 2016 07:30 AM PDT

In the thick of night, the women of COPINH keep watch*

By Melissa Cardoza 

[Versión original en español]

Close to 150 women from COPINH, joined by girls, boys and some brothers showed up in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa yesterday, Monday April 4th.

They arrived looking colorful, tired, sweating along the route down from the mountains, communities, villages. They are Lenca indigenous women, peasants, many young, all fighting for rivers, mountains, spirits, bodies and the earth.

They are called by the fighting spirit of Berta Cáceres Flores, her words and actions of rebellion. “She brought us here, Bertita did” one sister tells us as she dries her tears with the back of her hand. The pain is still stark on the faces of these sisters.

 

“We saw her a few days before they killed her,” the sisters of Río Lindo tell us, “she came when they evicted us to give us strength, lots of hope.” They came from there to show that same strength to Berta. They have been camped out since Tuesday at dawn on this Tuesday April 5th in front of the Attorney General’s office, a place where time and again they have come to demand the investigation and clarification of the crime against Berta Caceres Flores, and where time and again there has been no response.

The demands are the ones that they have been making since the day of her assassination:

An independent commission to investigate with the participation of the victims, meaning Berta’s family and COPINH.

The immediate and definitive cancellation of the Agua Zarca project that fills the Gualcarque River with grief.

Respect for the territorial, cultural and political autonomy of the Lenca people and their organization, COPINH.

While they chain themselves together and paint the walls of the Attorney General’s offices red they shout chants for justice and freedom. Full of rage and truth they confront the callous functionaries: “You have the blood of our sister all over your hands.”

 

Tegucigalpa’s feminist movement and other movements and people from the city back up the COPINH womens’ action, showing up to accompany them and share what they have and what is needed for the womens’ encampment.

The sisters arrive to this city at the precipice of public attention over the scandal of high police officials ordering the killing of one of their own top prosecutors. These are the same police that the Honduran state says are responsible for the safety of the people, of the women.

The women of COPINH aren’t just on the right side of history because they come from a people attacked for centuries by racist domination. They let out their cry for justice at a moment when the country is fed up with the cynisism of those who govern it and the violence of its institutions. The assassination of Berta Cáceres Flores is the ‘Enough!’ - ¡Ya Basta! – of this nation.

From here we call for everyone to back up the actions of the COPINH women in this city, whether by sending messages of support, contributions or displays of solidarity to the National Nework of Women Defending Human Rights. 

Tegucigalpa, Aptil 5th, 2016, 34 days after the assasination of Berta Cáceres Flores. 

 *The original title of this article, in Spanish, is “Alta es la noche, y las copinas vigilan,” a reference to the Pablo Neruda poem “Alta es la noche, y Morazán vigila,” the Chilean poet’s tribute to Honduran independence leader Francisco Morazán from his famous Canto General.

Women of COPINH Camped Outside Honduran Attorney General's Office

Posted: 05 Apr 2016 07:32 PM PDT

Since this morning, Tuesday April 5th, hundreds of the indigenous Lenca women of COPINH have been protesting at the Honduran Attorney General's Office, hanging banners from it, painting its windows and doors in red paint symbolizing the blood spilled to stop the construction of the Agua Zarca dam along the Gualcarque River, and demanding justice for Berta Cáceres. Below is an update from the Network of Women Defending Human Rights (Red de Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos) as well as several pictures and videos:

Alert: Members of COPINH attacked, violent displacement feared. 
Tegucigalpa, Honduras - April 5th, 2016 - The People's Social Movement Platform of Honduras (PMSPH) alerts that, during the sit-in in front of the Attorney General's office by Lenca women from the Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) members of that organization are being attacked. At 11:20am members of COPINH were hanging a banner with Berta Cáceres's picture when two soldiers and a police officer approached them aggressively and detained Gaspar Sanchez, who was then held for 3 minutes inside the Attorney General's office. During the time that Gaspar Sanchez was detained he was beaten with punches and kicks all over his body. Sanchez was freed due to the pressure from COPINH members outside the offices. During the aggression Selvin Milla, another COPINH member, was also injured with a cut to his foot. Minutes later approximately 120 riot police and soldiers arrived at the offices, along with a police tank, for which reason there is fear of a violent displacement of the people who are on site. This sit-in began at 5:30am, with over 100 Lenca women mobilizing to Tegucigalpa to demand justice for the assassination of Berta Cáceres. Women of different generations, pregnant women and minors are involved. The women of COPINH state that they will maintain the sit-in as planned.

Defensoras @COPINHHONDURAS frente al MP piden #JusticiaParaBerta, alertamos ante actos d represión o desmovilización pic.twitter.com/IUJmYwTM56

— IM-Defensoras (@IM_Defensoras) April 5, 2016

#JusticiaParaBerta "Alerta, alerta, que aquí camina Berta" @redefensorashn @COPINHHONDURAS pic.twitter.com/8fyjfNL2Nf

— IM-Defensoras (@IM_Defensoras) April 5, 2016

Alert// Members of COPINH attacked, violent displacement feared. 

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - April 5th, 2016 - The People's Social Movement Platform of Honduras (PMSPH) alerts that, during the sit-in in front of the Attorney General's office by Lenca women from the Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) members of that organization are being attacked. At 11:20am members of COPINH were hanging a banner with Berta Cáceres's picture when two soldiers and a police officer approached them aggressively and detained Gaspar Sanchez, who was then held for 3 minutes inside the Attorney General's office. During the time that Gaspar Sanchez was detained he was beaten with punches and kicks all over his body. Sanchez was freed due to the pressure from COPINH members outside the offices. During the aggression Selvin Milla, another COPINH member, was also injured with a cut to his foot. Minutes later approximately 120 riot police and soldiers arrived at the offices, along with a police tank, for which reason there is fear of a violent displacement of the people who are on site. This sit-in began at 5:30am, with over 100 Lenca women mobilizing to Tegucigalpa to demand justice for the assassination of Berta Cáceres. Women of different generations, pregnant women and minors are involved. The women of COPINH state that they will maintain the sit-in as planned.
Posted by Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en Honduras on Tuesday, April 5, 2016