Another indigenous environmentalist murdered in Honduras

Source:  Granma
July 7 2016

by: Cubadebate | internet@granma.cu

Her name was Lesbia Yaneth Urquía and she was a member of The Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (Copinh)

 

Lesbia Yaneth Urquía was a Honduran environmental activist. Photo: TELESUR

 

Her name was Lesbia Yaneth Urquía and she was a member of The Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (Copinh).

While the memory of the murder of Bertha Cáceres is still fresh in our minds – a crime which remains unpunished – Urquía was found dead on Wednesday afternoon, July 6, in a place known as Mata Mulas close to the Marcala municipal dump in La Paz.

Some press reports claim that the victim sustained a head injury which could have been caused by a sharp object, although others suggest that she was shot to death. Her body was sent directly to the head office of the Ministry of Public Health’s Forensic department, to undergo an autopsy.

According to reports by police officers, Urquía left her house on Tuesday, July 5, at 5pm local time on her bicycle. However, after failing to return home, her family began to search for her, eventually finding her dead in the Mata Mulas area.

According to a report published Chilean newspaper El Mostrador, 2015 saw the highest number of environmental activists killed in the country’s history. Global Witness reports that 185 activists were killed in Honduras that year, representing an average of three per week.

In the case of Honduras, the most high-profile murder was that of Bertha Cáceres in March, followed by Nelson García, also a Copinh activist.