In solidarity with daughter of murdered Indigenous leader

On Tuesday 28 June, the Honduran organisation COPINH and the Global Justice Association filed a complaint with the public prosecutor in the Netherlands against Dutch development bank FMO. For COPINH, this is part of their continued efforts to bring to justice those involved in the murder of their leader Berta Cáceres. FMO financed the Agua Zarca project in Honduras in 2014. The new complaint is based on documents indicating that FMO’s money has been used improperly.

This week Bertha Zúniga Cáceres, the daughter of Berta Cáceres and now coordinator of COPINH(opens in new window) , is in the Netherlands to speak with MPs, media and civil society organisations to raise awareness on their fight for justice and the situation in Honduras. SOMO believes it is important that COPINH has access to the Dutch legal system in its quest for justice.

SOMO and Both ENDS have been following this project for years and will keep monitoring it, as well as other FMO investments. While SOMO is not involved in these legal steps, we hope that the bank will learn from its mistakes and change its investment model towards practices that put the well-being of local communities and human rights defenders at the centre of its development mandate.