Alarms raised as another Indian leader in Honduras is murdered


Women in Honduras march in support of Berta Cáceres, an indigenous activist who was murdered on March 3, 2016. Photo from COPINH / Facebook

A second indigenous leader -- who was a colleague of the recently slain Berta Cáceres -- has been murdered in Honduras.

Police said the shooting of Nelson Garcia, 38, who was from the Lenca community, was an “isolated” act of violence that wasn't linked to the murder of Cáceres, the Associated Press reported. But the U.S. Embassy in Honduras described his death as an "assassination."

"On behalf of the people and Government of the United States, we condemn the murder of civil society activist Nelson García yesterday," the embassy said in a statement. "Coming so close to the murder of his colleague Berta Cáceres, his death is cause for particular concern."

Garcia was killed on Tuesday at his home in Rio Lindo, according to news reports. He had returned there after helping some Lenca people in a different community who had being evicted, the AP said.

Garcia and Cáceres, 43, who also was Lenca, were part of the Indian Council of People’s Organizations of Honduras, which Cáceres helped create.

Get the Story:
Gunmen kill colleague of slain Honduran environmentalist (AP 3/16)
Fellow Honduran activist Nelson García murdered days after Berta Cáceres (The Guardian 3/16)
Nelson Garcia: Another Honduran Activist Gunned Down While Washington Gives a Muted Response (Council on Hemispheric Affairs 3/16)

Related Stories
Steven Newcomb: Domnination code killed activist Berta Caceres (3/15)
Grahame Russell: Indigenous activist was murdered for her beliefs (03/07)
Indigenous leader Berta Caceres murdered at home in Honduras (3/3)

Join the Conversation