No More Murdered Environmental Activists in Latin America
Within the programming of
"Women against Impunity" 2017| Duration: | 1 hour 30 minutes |
Barely one year after the murder of Berta Cáceres, a prominent Honduran human and environmental rights advocate, Bianca Jagger honours her memory with a lecture about the dangers faced by champions of the environment and the importance of protecting those who defend us.
Berta Cáceres, a Lenca indigenous woman, was co-founder of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras (COPINH), dedicated to defending the environment and rescuing her native Lenca culture. She firmly opposed major mining, logging and hydro-power projects, especially the plan to build the hydroelectric dam of Agua Zarca on the River Guadalcarque in Santa Bárbara. In 2012 she received the Shalom Award (Germany); in 2014 she was nominated for the Front Line Defenders Award (Ireland); and in 2015 was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, also known as the "Green Nobel", the highest international distinction for environmental activists. On the morning of 3 March 2016, while preparing to present alternatives to the Agua Zarca hydro-power project, and after years of death threats, Cáceres was murdered in her home.
Speaker
Born in Nicaragua, Bianca Jagger is the founder, president and chief executive of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation (BJHRF) and a Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador. She has dedicated her life to defending human rights, civil liberties, peace, social justice and environmental protection across the world. She has received countless prestigious distinctions—including the Right Livelihood Award, known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize" (2004)—and several honorary doctorates.
Coordinated by: Association of Guatemalan Women.
