Berta Caceres Part 4

0:08 Hey everyone, This is Carmen and Christina and this is Estoria Unknown, a podcast where we talk about Latin American history. Sometimes it's horrible and deals with heavy topics like racism, corruption, and genocide, but more than that, it's also about resistance, power and community. Yes, we are continuing with Berta Cassides. This is part four and our last part. Okay, good, Yeah. I almost was like, let's put this into but no, that was too much. That was too much. So here we are, here we are. In part three, we talked about the coup that led to the policies that allowed for the Awa Sarga Damn project to begin and then expand, as well as details about this and the company behind the Awa Sarka Damn, who their backers were, and Holberta suspected the involvement of international banks, which she was right about, but she could not find this out. She would not find this out, I mean before her murder. And so now we're just going to continue. By twenty thirteen, the fight against the dam was getting more dangerous for Coping, Berta Cassides and the Lenka But this was the year things were turned straight up deadly for them. Specifically the Rio Blanco community that the river was in on On April first, twenty thirteen, the community set up a roadblock and El Robles to stop the construction of the dam, a human barricade. They occupied it in twelve of our shifts, making sure someone was always there, women, children, men, everyone participated.

1:39 They had also set up a camp there to make sure someone was always there. They cooked over a campfire. They decorated the campsite with Honduran and coping flags. The military would come and ransack the site. They would kick over pots of food and chase people out, but the people kept returning because like, this is their livelihood. Yeah, what choice that they have. So on top of private security guards and the police, DESA had the military helping them. The soldiers were under the command of Colonel Milton, a graduate of the School of Americas. That's right, the infamous School of Americas. These soldiers seemed to be employed by ESSA, and you would think they were straight up employed by ESSA and not like National soldiers of the Yeah, so the relational army national soldiers being used for private private corporation essentially, which is actually what the military is and does regardless. Yeah, when you really get down to it. Yes, yep, and they operated out of a Vessa encampment. Damn, it's just more like explicit, I guess, more obvious here instead of like backwards because it was Desa who obviously was providing their shelter with and camin but also like their food.

3:03 This had the full back end of the state, their own private security and spies within the Nika communities. This that quickly learned the best spies were the family members of those who post the damn. Oh, the family members of those that were opposing the damn damn. That's shady, yeah, family members of Copin and some of them were paid so little. Well, I mean when you're desperate. People like Sa Sanchez were paid five hundred limpidas a week to report on Copin and Betta's next moves. And like way at the end of the book, who killed Berta Gas it is she? Nina Lakanie talks with Sara Sanchez specifically and asks him how much she was paid and he told her five hundred lmpiinas and she was like, you sold her out for say who was he again though he is a member of the community, Like, okay, he was the brother I want to say, the brother of one of like Copin's like and one of Breda's like. Stress.

4:00 He was also in being damn that's he was being paid. Yeah, and he she asked him like what he said is so little? And then he and what she tells him, you sold her out for so little? And he said, I didn't know it was going to end like this. What do you think it was going to happen? And that's what she told him, like she's taking down journeysts right, what did you think was gonna happen? She's like dead. Now He's like, I didn't think they would killing her. I feel so terrible. I mean, I get I don't know. I guess I could. Of course you wouldn't think that would happen, but one only has to look around to know that's the outcome. Yeah. Yeah, it's sad because it happened.

4:44 This happened so much in so many movements. Yeah, especially in environmentalist movements in Central and South America. Yep, oh period is he was the of course I wrote down who he was. He was the nephew of the Linka community leader named Chico Sanchez. And this all this just like really shows how they were up against like a very powerful company. Yeah. On May twenty four, twenty thirteen, Berta and Tomas Gomez, another high up coping member basically her right hand man in copin we're driving to Rio Blanco for a meeting where they stopped at they were and they were stopped at two military checkpoints. At the second stop, they were forced out of the vehicle by fifteen soldiers and these fifteen soldiers began to check the coping vehicle then called for police backup, who continued the search.

5:44 And when the police got there, they claimed to have found a thirty eight Revolver in the trunk, which wasn't theirs planning mm hmm. Berta and Tomas were then separated and placed in two different police cars. Oh and actually the police when they arrived to the scene they were in deatha vehicles. They weren't even in police vehicles. Wow. And then they were taken to a station in Santa Barbara. Domas was released at eleven pm that same day. Boberta was placed in a cell and treated as a quote highly dangerous individual and she was released the next day, but under very specific conditions. She had to sign in at the court every Friday and told her trial, which was scheduled for June thirteen, twenty thirteen. When was they arrested in May a little bit after her release. David Castillo, who's come up already, but he's the president of Dessa.

6:44 Oh okay, I'm like, and who is this man? He called Berta and offered to stall the case so she could attend her daughter's graduation. Wow. Yeah, And then this shook her for a couple of reasons. One, why did he know about her daughter's graduation? Yeah, that means there have been surveiling her exactly. And two who did he know that gave him the power to stall her case? Yeah? Yeah, that's scary for sure. Yeah. And it turns out that he was seeing he was spotted having lunch with the judge who was hearing her case. That should not have been allowed. No, no. And so now Dessa was fully criminalizing members with the help of the police and judges, and the fight against the dam was growing increasingly dangerous.

7:38 Dessa employed a man named Olvin Gustavo Garcia Mahia to intimidate community members, and that was in his official role. He had some other role, but his actual role was to intimidate community members. Like on Pipper, he had like a different role, but his actual thing was to intimidate exactly. He was seen in desa company targeting damn opponents, and he had no fear of repercussions. He knew he could get away with basically anything because he could. He walked around with a nine millimeter gun in his hand and a macheta in the other. His family have Solderland to Lessa willingly, and then he convinced and or coerced many others to do the same thing. People were terrified of him.

8:26 He made it known that he had a hit list of leaders in the community, and he would openly talk about looking forward to killing Berta. And I'm dripping a little bit ahead here. But in twenty fifteen, Olwen chopped off the fingers of a coping member. Oh my god, yes and base No nothing percussions for him, Yes, thank you. Also that year, in twenty fifteen, he confronted another coping member named Don Gustino in a store and threatened to shoot him if he didn't tell him about Bertha's plans. When Don Hustino were used to answer, he fired his gun twice into the air, but Houstino fled and stayed away from his house for a few hours after that confentration.

9:09 When he returned, his house had been set on fire. Luckily, nothing happened to Whinny one because his family had already fled like they weren't in the house due to all these threats. But it was never proven, but it was probably Lvin who set the house on fire. At the end of that year, December twenty fifteen, Olvin was arrested for illegal possession of two unlicensed guns, but this I used its power and money to have the charges dropped. But in the process of that, it came out that he was wanted for the twenty fourteen murder of Bernardo Perez, another coping and community member. Bernardo's son is the one who saw Albin and testified against Albin and was the key witness who saw this murder taking place. Once this I came involved in this case, those charges were also dropped because the SUN suddenly changed his testimony. Wow, and we can guess yeah, they were either paid or forced to change it. All this to really emphasize the type of things DESA was willing to do to keep this damn project moving and the power that they had. Yeah, and the power, yes, and the power that they had.

10:23 When the author of who killed Berta Casiz reached out to Dessa about Orbin, they denied knowing him. But phone messages unnersed during the trial for Bertha's murder would prove that was a lie. The phone messages is really what undid them once. We'll get to that when the trial happens. Okay, now back to our timeline. Mays Don thirteen, Betta was charged with the illegal possession of a firearm and banned from leaving the country. A couple months after this, on July fifteen, thirteen, community members broke into the Vesa compound to march and demand a meeting about the dam. Soldiers fired warning shots into the air, but then Kevin Yase Sarabia fired into the crowd. A soldier, Domas Garcia, who had just turned down twenty thousand lampias to switch sides, was shot dead. His son and two others were injured in this shooting. Various witnesses saw Kevin Ya Sarabia shoot into an unarmed crowd without provocation, but this I paid friendly journalists to publish that it was done in self. Defense. Wow.

11:40 Domas was buried in the forest not far from the river, marked by a white cross the linka. People believed his spirit will return to mother Earth. Alan Garcia, the son who was shot during the protest but survived, said quote, we were protesting peacefully, so why did they kill my father? I want the soldiers to face the full weight of the law because he didn't kill an animal, he killed a human being. And many fled the area after this protest, fearing that the violence would only get worse. So it was a success for Essa, but Alan Garcia and the rest of the siblings refused to give up. Just like Berta, the river was their livelihood. Alan Garcia told the author if quote if they take the river, where will we go?

12:28 What will we eat? End quote? When this took place, Berta was in La Esperanza, which is I think like forty minutes away from here. It also happened that as this was happening, there was another actually a little bit after the death of Domas and this protest that you know, shot were fired. A sixteen year old named Guisian Madrid had been shot and he died. This happened in El Barrian, which is past way past, like I think it's like an hour passed this area, like it's not close to here, and it's even further away from na Esperanza. So this sixteen year old Kristian Madrid was shot and killed without any evidence. Berta was accused by Dessa's security chief Douglas Giovanni Bustillo, of being the mastermind behind the shooting, which makes no sense, absolutely none. The Madrid family was a big the only area they were rich. They supported the damn.

13:31 Many families were convinced, coerced to sell their land to the Madrids, who then sold it to Dessa to not even more rich, and they weren't cohods with Dessa, and then they they rallied behind this claim of Berta Casseris killing their son, which just was not possible. That accusation went nowhere, but that didn't stop Dessa from trying to find ways to have Bertha arrested instead. Tember of that year, Berta, along with other COPING members Aureliano Lito Molina and Tomas Gomez Membreno, were facing charges of usurpation of land, coersion and causing more than three million in damages to Dessa because some equipment had been set on fire and damaged.

14:21 Messages would later show this was Desa themselves, Oh, just trying to frame them, Yeah, and there was no proof it was through them, but they were charged with this. Berta faced the tension, but the other two were released on bail but order to sign in at the station every fifteen days. Litho or Aurelio is his name, but his name is Litho, who faces charges with her was apparently her boyfriend, and I think I think he was ten or twenty years younger than her, Okay, Bertha, Yeah, and had like, you know, grown up the organization, and this is what caused the split in COPING and led to Salvador leaving the organization because they don't remember in which part I mentioned that he was like Sarlotta is her? Yeah, sal who founded coping and is the father of her children. Yeah, okay, so yeah, over this he left the organization. So they had been they had been split up since two thousand and three, but they kept working together for all that time.

15:29 Oh but then this happened and he's like nah, Yeah. This relationship with Leito was her first public relationship after her split up ten years before this and when people found out they were not happy. It basically split Coping in two people took sides, including Berta's old mother who sided with Salvador No. Colberta's mom, yeah, Donya Austra, And so now there was two organizations fighting for the same cause. Did she just band together? They were to all this? But also, for at least two years before this, Berta had been pushing for Coping to adopt more feminist practices.

16:16 Could that have been another I think so, yeah, fighting or I can't think of the word motivator for this split. I guess yeah. During one meeting, she and the other women refused to do any of the cooking or cleaning, and the men had to do it, including Sanvalon. Some were receptive, willing to change their machista ways, but others were not. Sarvo mentioned to in the book that Litho wasn't the only reason he left Coping. He said that it was changing too much, and that Berta's new feminist friends were changing her. Okay, still, despite these differences, and like the drama that they went through with this whole Letho situation, her last words in twenty sixteen were called Salvador. Wow, and this is probably like such like the worst time this could be happening, to lose like both her mom and Salvadora at the same time, like to lose her support within Gobineah, because she always described them as like her closest confidants. And it was becoming at this point that Desile was using the state to come after her, and especially because she was the only one facing detention for these false charges, and she fled to avoid being detained, feeling that something worse what happened to her in prison,

17:50 And so in September, Thomas and Letho were given bail and she had been sentenced to jail. So on October tenth, thirteen, she went into hiding. And she never spent more than like a few days in the same place during this time. You know, even on the run, if I did not stop for her, she was still trying to find a way to prove that she was right about the International banks being involved. In one of the places she was hiding, a friend's house in Agua Caliente, a design employee had stopped by to tell her friend to not get involved. That Berta Casserez is a vieja pica, Oh wow, got criminal and she's going to jail for damaging our machinery.

18:35 If you hide her here, you'll be in trouble too. And Berta's friend was not a friend. She's like, get out of here. You have no right to come to my house and tell me this. But it's scary because they knew. That means they knew where she was. They were following her even though she was hiding. They knew where she was a month into her hiding. In November twenty thirteen, Nina Lacani, the author of the book The Our Main Source Here, went to see Bertha. During this meeting, Berta told her quote, they're always watching me. When Nina asked her who, Berta told her the police, the army, the government. And even when she was there, they saw cars with tinted windows and no license plates driving by.

19:18 And these cars would pass by day and night, no matter where she was staying. She also received many anonymous threats via phone calls and text messages. She told Nina quote, I'm not free to walk alone or to swim in the sacred Guacarke. I separated from my children. I cannot live in peace. I'm always thinking about being killed or kidnapped. I am a human rights defender. I will not give up the struggle. I love my country. It doesn't have to be like this. End quote. And then when Nina left uh from where Bertha was staying, Berta told her the army has an assassination list of sixteen wanted human rights defenders with my name at the top. I want to live. There are many things I still want to do in this world. I take precautions, but in the end, in this country where there is total impunity, I am vulnerable.

20:12 When they want to kill me, they will do it. It wasn't until January of twenty fourteen that the case against Berta, Tomas and Lito would be suspended for lack of evidence, so this was in the tenth of January. Despite this, less than twenty days after it was suspended, on the twenty eighth of January, Berta was arrested and detained for an hour for no reason, just to scare her. Yeah. In November of twenty fourteen, Berta traveled to Buenos Aires for an interview during which she spoke about the repression, impunity, and the danger she and others faced. She also talked about those who had died for the cause already so far. Sorry, where did she go? Oh? An interview in Argentina. Okay, yeah, I did these deaths to a wider scale geopolitically, which of course includes the US and the DAM. There had been growing attacks against campesinos in Naiwan, and the DA committed a massacre in La Mosquitia. Oh, and I added it to our topic list. I think heard of a little bit about this, the same unit. It starts with an X. It'll come up again later because they were implicated and black Acid is murder. US military unit. No, no, no, US trained, Oh, US trained, Yeah, military unit. Okay, working with the DEA. Oh I see, I see, yeah, And

21:43 so she mentioned I just didn't write that down there name here, but they're the ones who were involved in La Mosquitia. In this interview, she again called that Hillary Clinton about legitimizing a coup that led to these conditions. Indas, by the time Hillary Clinton addressed the WHO after her memoir was released, and she was asked about it because she mentions it in her memoir and she finally like addressed it, Berta had already been murdered. Did she say anything about Bertha. No, yeah, she basically justifies her legitimizing the coup, of course, and I'm not gonna get into it, but the book does an excellent job about tying together like the coup, the DA, the dangers Alberta and other activists were facing, even the war on gangs, and like the Mano Lura policy as well as mass migration to the US. Like it connects all of those things because they are connected. It's all connected. Yes, yeah, like the Charlie Day meme. No for real, that's what I felt like.

22:47 But I did want to share this quote from the book. It's from a counterinsurgency expert, Michael Micklin talk quote the coup was such a throwback to the nineteen eighties, except everything is now clouded by the fog of the drug war and gag war, and it's easy to smoke screen target Achillians by general violence. And yeah, yes to everything that this count is right the experts. Yes, this is why Mano Luda policies and like the ergo henceforth to with to now for real. So back to Bertha. In November twenty fourteen, she was informed that she would be a twenty fifteen winner of the Goldman Prize of Environmental Defenders.

23:38 This is like winning the Nobel Peace Prize for environmental activists. And yet out of all the nominees, Berta took the longest to accept the nomination and the money and the attention. It just didn't seem right to her, But she was convinced by everyone and being like around her who told her that raising this level of awareness about their struggle help protect them. So when the Goldman film crew arrived in the area in January of twenty fifteen, they saw first hand the danger that Berta was in. They were randomly stomped by police soldiers, even an angry mob. At one point, for no reason other than working with Bertha.

24:19 Berta asked Goldman researcher Ryan Mack what would happen if she died before receiving the prize money, and he was shocked. No one had harassed in this. Had no one else from Latin America. I've received this. I know another recipient died but after her, and I think they were from Latin America too, I just don't remember who. I didn't write it down, but yeah, at least one other has died or just been up this specific prize, but he said, no one has ever asked me that. Before Bertha knew the seriousness of the threats against her life, if anyone understood that time was running out, it was her. Yeah, that's terrible. It's such a scary, traumatizing way to live for like years before she was killed, it was twenty thirteen, and yet she didn't back down. She continued her fight. Yeah.

25:15 When she accepted her award and gave her speech on April nineteenth, that twenty fifteen, she told that three thousand people in the audience, wake up, wake up, humanity. We're out of time, and we'll watch it here. In Spanish, okay, one, two three, play doesn't she look beautiful? I was just gonna say. I loved her hair. Yeah, that's yes.

25:56 When I noticed familiar old mom investras cosmovisiones somos suhiro de laterra e lawa elmas de lorreos, somus custodios and estrale helpolo linka res gardo maslo spirito de la ninas, keno la vida, the multiplaformers plasa lorios is dar la vida parlien de la manida iste planeta el cooping caminando compoelo persue, sipassion ratifical, compromiso de se defendi la lorreos, investorians, communeturalisa a scomonestro de recho, como pelos despertemos, despertemos manida jan uy tempo, nuestra consciencias, nuestra consciencias serranzadas porreleccho, the star solo contemplando lautostruccion Bassalona, the Predacon capitalista, rasista I patriarchal and rio walk no saya malolo de mas kestan seriamnasao and toel mundo. The musa kudir la madre, tierra military,

27:31 sala cercala and bennada done systematicamente de recho elementalest no sex actor. Comes tru yamos and so escapase. The co exister de manera usta dina ippo la vida juntemoosiamo experanza fendiendo iquidan dola sandre de la spiritus de liques, the premio a mean madri alolenca ario lanco alcopini alas lomartes.

28:18 Which asias and in English, the Gualcarque River has called the Panas, as have other gravely threatened rivers. We must answer their call. Mother Earth has been militarized, fenced in, and poisoned. It's a place where basic rights are systematically violated. It demands that we take action. Let us build societies that co exist in a just and dignified way that protects life. I dedicated the war to all the rebels out there, to my mother, to the Lenca people, to Rio Blanco, and to the martyrs who gave their lives in the struggle to defend their natural resources. Thank you very much. And yeah, just beautiful, truer words that needed to be heard. But like everyone in this room, I obviously agreed with her, Like there was a standing ovation after her speech, and yet you know this couldn't stop her murder. And it's just yeah, I don't know. I felt so sad as I wrote all these notes because I watched, Yeah, I watched a bunch of interviews of hers.

29:36 I listened to interviews and just like what a loss. Yeah, the world suffered, and for what for capitalism? I'm sick of it exactly. I'm like, like, how are we born in this in this world? And humanity created capitalism? Like of all things, of all the things, when we could let the river thrive, let the Lenka people live, let all the rivers thrive, all the animals. Yeah, I just hate it. I hate it. Yeah, it's I'm not gonna go on that ranch anyway. Later that year, in November twenty fifteen, Berta and her dear friend and activist Medium, who I talked about a couple of years ago. Yes, they received the Osgarro Metal Award, Oh my god, for inspiriting his beliefs from the Rothcoe Chapel in Texas, Okay.

30:39 And then they went on like a three week speaking to her after receiving that award. From them and Medium said in the book, we talked about our families, our organizations. She told me the damn company had spies and coping leaking information. We talked about what we do next. We cried, drink beers, laughed together, We had fun. That trip was our farewell tour. We just didn't know it then. Oh my god, I just got chills. It's just yeah, it's terrible. I mean, well also there to say it's horrible. It took me longer to put these notes together because I'm just like I paused to just like I don't know, think about how Sad did it, and you know what, like it made me think too of all the other women who fought against oppression and for human rights and were survelled by the state and killed by the state, ultimately being funded by the United States in the name of the state and capitalism. Like I'm thinking of Midna matt Chain, I'm thinking about like another person who infiltrated the group, like in Asusana's case, her organization refriended her and then participating in her disappearance, her murder. Really but you know, yeah, yeah, it's infuriating. Yeah, but yeah, that would be the last time they got to hang out like that, but like what a memory. Yeah, for that

32:10 to have been their last I read in the book there was a part where they went to a bar and they were like somewhere in the US after for this tour, and they went to a bar and they were like, let's practice our English to order a beer. And they were like trying to practice the very broken English, and then they didn't need to because the bartender was from Ondudasus. Yeah, and they were like, oh my god, another person from on Dudas and so wow, yeah, like, it's nice that this was their last time together, because it was joyous and yeah. The following month, in December twenty fifteen, Berta had told her sister Agustina, that she was in danger, that the messages and harassment never stopped, and that she was under constant surveillance. She told her sister, those sons of bitches are going to kill me. They don't care that I have children. She told her daughters the same thing. She didn't allow them to visit anymore because she was afraid that they would be heard too. Yes.

33:13 In February twenty sixteen, Tomas Membregno, the same person who was with her in the car when they found a fake gun, he received a text from Douglas Bustillo, who I mentioned at the top. I think his name has come up, but he is the ex security chief of Thissa. Okay, he was a security chief at this point. He was supposedly fired and the ex security chief, but I don't think he was ever fired. No, I think he was fired on paper. But still was he like a spy then infiltrated organization. No, No, he was harassing her and bothering her and pain paining spies. He was part of the people employing the spies in Copin. So Bustillo told Tomas Regno in a text message that Copine didn't have the same support as I used to, that Berta was only using them for that prize and for the prize money, and that she the people could tell that she was just using them. And so Tomas for this message to Berta, who only told Bustillo, are you never are you not tired of being a front man for this ah repeating everything they say, And Bustillo was like, I'm no frontman.

34:25 I've forgotten about that company because he was fired supposedly, but he really wasn't I see. And yeah, like a little bit after this conversation, like a day, Berta was followed by two SUVs with tinted windows clearly of this vehicle. Then on the twentieth of that month, February two sixteen, so February twenty, twenty sixteen, Bertha led another protest to the Wildcake River. Coppein's vehicles were stopped and searched while police and military took pictures of the protesters. At the same time, approched crowd had gathered to throw rocks at the stop, coping vehicles and the members who were you know, pulled out of the vehicles. The deputy mayor was among the crowd throwing Coping embarrassing behavior to cape so hard for fucking capitalism that you're pro Damn, I know. It's throwing rocks at people that are like, by defending their land, they're also defending your right to water. Yeah, if they don't see that, they're fighting for your rights and you're throwing fucking rocks at them. Yeah. They believe the lies about how the river won't be affected, and they took all them money and so they don't care. At that same protest, this as community and Environmental manager approached Bertha and told her there are armed men at the river.

35:47 We won't be responsible if something happens to you. My God. And another thing that this I would do, which was later confirmed by during the trial with text mates messages that were released. But like Coping, members would tell them, Okay, we're moving, we're moving, We're on the go to the protests. So then police would arrive to stop their vehicles and search them. They would like like if there was a bridge that had to be crossed for them to get to the location they're going to protest that they like went out and destroyed the bridge, but Coping just rebuilt the bridge. They would block roads on purpose to make them go a longer way, but Coping continued, and so like on this specific protest, the road to the river was blocked and they couldn't get their cars through, and so they had to walk a pretty long walk. And along the walk there was private security and police officers like aiming their guns at them, including the Tigres, which was a US trained elite unit. Wow. A drone was flying by taking pictures of all of them, but the group continued. A week after that, a man with the military hairca was seen asking around for Bertha near Coping offices, but when he was asked to identify himself, he sped off.

37:02 And so because of things like that, Berta wasn't even like sleeping at her home anymore. She was staying at Compeigne's training center in La Esperanza. Then on March first, two thousand and sixteen, Bertha's daughter Laura, she was visiting. She had been visiting Bertha for a little bit and Bertha was dropping her off. She had to go back to university, and so as Berta dropped off Laura at the airport. She told Laua to enjoy her life, make the most of it, but to remember that she belongs in on Duras, fighting to make it a better place, and to not be afraid if anything happened to her.

37:45 And it felt like a goodbye, like an official goodbye. But Laura thought that her mom would always be safe because she was so well known. She had met the Pope, she had received the Goldman Prize like she thought that the publicity would helper mm hmm. And as Launa was leaving, Gustavo Gastro, who we mentioned a few episodes ago, he was landing. So he's another environmental activist but from Mexico, and they had met in that protest where the PPP was announced. It was like that conference where we sent that folks among other others were there. Yeah, so he was landing. He was going to stay at well, he was landing to like do things there with Copin and he was going to stay at a different place, but Berta offered for him to stay with her because her internet was better anyway, and so he agreed. And then she texted Lauda and not to worry because she wouldn't be alone in the house that Gustavo had just arrived and he was going to be with her, and so they were doing like you know, coping things. During the day, she had a meeting where she told the finance coordinator of coping that they needed to update signatures because what if she was killed, And the cenator was like, don't be silly, like nothing's going to happen to you. But they did it anyway, And this is March first, twenty sixteen.

39:09 Berta and Gustavo they did some more work. They went over to another coping location where she did what would be her last interview, though this was like not known at the time. In the interview, she discussed energy as a political issue, how capitalism and energy threatened indigenous communities, and what the Lenca people were facing in their fight. Then Berta and Gustavo left to have dinner and visit Berta's mom before she headed back to her place. She had just bought this house in Nasperanza, and she bought it with the Goldman Prize money in a gated community. Her mom would later say, like, I don't know why she bought a house so isolated and far away. My thoughts is that maybe a gated community gave a sense of protection. She thought it would be safer, yeah, yes, yes, and so she had just bought this house and so they had it there. After visiting Berta's mom, a black suv with tinted windows and no plates was seen by her mom's house just before nine thirty pm. Berta and Gustavo got back to her place a bit after nine thirty.

40:16 They talked on the porch for another half hour, then she went inside to finish some work. At least two cars had driven by behind the fence of her house at that point to like unmarked cars. Then Gustavo went inside two and now around eleven twenty five pm, Berta had sent a message to the police liaison officer who was in charge of overseeing her protection because she was supposed to be under police protection. So his name is Juan Carlosquadz, and she wrote to him, wherever you are, It was she well, please be careful besels. Ten minutes after that, at eleven thirty five pm, Gustavo heard three loud wings. At first he thought it was Berta cleaning or opening closing doors in the kitchen, but then he heard a louder, more dull thud. Then he heard Berta yell out, who's there. Then within seconds of that, a gunman kicked open Gustavo's door and aimed the gun at him, a gun at him. Then as the gunman this gunman did this, another gunman forced open Berta's door. It sounded like there was a struggle, and then Gustavo heard three shots.

41:27 Oh my god. Berta fell backwards, but she was still trying to defend herself. She scratched the gunman as he bent over, and then he stomped on her until she stopped fighting back. Oh my god, Gustavo when he heard this, because this all happened so fast, when he heard this, he jumped off his bed, I think forgetting that a gunman was pointing a gun at him, like he was just intending to rush to Reta. But then the gunman, so he jumped off the bed. The gunman fired, who's already there aiming at him? Fired at him the bullet he as As the gun was fired, Gustabo lifted his arms up to like block it with his hands, and the bullet grazed his left hand and the top of his left ear, and he fell to the floor like freaked out, obviously because either way he was so shocked, even though it was a graze. But he fell to the floor, playing dead and he just didn't move, and the gunman like they believed it. He said, they didn't check on him. Then they he didn't hear when they left, but they left at some point. Then he heard it that I yell out his name, and that's when he got up, still bleeding, ran over to her, knelt down, wrapped her in his arms and like you know, was telling her, don't go over that, don't die, stay with me.

42:48 But the wounds were too severe and she she was bleeding to death. She told him to get her phone and then said call and those were her last words, damn. And at this point it was now eleven forty five pm. He tried calling Talblor Domas Gomez Berta's lawyer, but no one was answering because it was late. He then sent messages to other friends and colleagues. He said, help, this is Gustavo Berta has been killed. I'm hurt and alone in her house. Nobody knows. Please tell us Salvor. Finally, around one am. Karen Springs of the Hodura Solidarity Network saw the messages, called and said help was on the way.

43:34 Then Tomas woke up, saw the messages also headed to her house. He was trying to call the same liaison that she had sent a message to at eleven twenty five pm. He was not answering. He stopped at the police station in Esperanza to inform them of Berta's death and they were just like not moving, and he was like, what the fuck. He then brushed back to his car, went and drove to Bertha's place and when he got there he had to honk and shout to wake up the security guard so that he could be let into Colonel which was the gated community where her house was located. And so he honked and honked, was finally let in, and then in front of her house he honked and Gustavo came out, You're still bleeding, covered in blood, and in the car He's like, are you sure he's dead?

44:22 She's dead, and Gustavo was like yes. They hugged, cried. They because they knew this wasn't like a safe place and the police wasn't on their side. All they left to head to Copying headquarters, but on the way they ran into some other COPING members who were heading to her house after hearing the news. So they returned, giving these other people a right. When they arrived, the police were there. The security guard was nowhere to be seen. The scene was not like cordon. Have you say that word? I know you're saying they didn't secure. He was insecure. The press was already arriving. There's so many people like already in and out, so like already messing up the forensic investigation. Yeah, So Tero Cha Maria, another COPING member who was ex military, also had arrived and was like looking inside because he was like this the police aren't going to do anything. They're not going to properly do this, and so he was like looking around. He noticed the footprints that had kicked open the door that or Gustavo was sleeping. He was like, that's a military issue bootprint, like I because he's ex military, and he was like, there's no doubt in my mind. He was investigating. Yes, yes, the police insisted that it was a burglary. Nothing had been stolen. Dumb. Yeah. Around five am, Lito, who was now her ex they weren't together anymore. They had broken up,

45:54 like at least a couple of months before this. Lito and his dad arrived. They had driven through hours from their home to get there. Oh wow, she was still They got there, Yeah, they got there at five am. Johnny. Then sid who I mentioned, I want to say last episode, but she was the ethnic prosecutor who grew up with Berta, the only prosecutor Bertha trusted. She called Gustavo and told him, like, don't go with anyone police or military until I get there, Like, do not go with them. And so Gustavo was with another COPING member, like at all times, to not go with anyone. And so he was with another COPING member when he met with a sketch artist and he like described the sketch artists as sketch artist would show him and he'd be like, no, that doesn't look like the person.

46:37 They drew wrong on purpose, Yeah, they drew wrong. He was like, no, they would redo it. And then by the point he was so tired, he was like whatever damn, because they kept doing it wrong. By the time that the sketch artist was done, it didn't look anything like the gunman that Gustavo saw, but it did look like Litton. Oh my god, it's like they were already playing a pinot on him. Yes, that's exactly what happened. Oh my god. Agents kept asking Gustavo Castro to look at pictures and videos of other COPEIN members, even though like he was like, no, this was an any one from COPIN, and they were like look again, look again, not leaving him alone in that aspect. And then the security guard who was nowhere to be seen. When Thomas and Gustavo returned with the rest of the members, that security guard was gone. That same security guard then said that he had seen Litho and Tomas leaving Colonial Lebano at two fifteen am. But this was Gustavo and Tomas who were leaving when they found the other members and then returned, So that was not Litho. That was Gustavo in the car. So Litho was arrested based on this false, oh my god, witness statement, and the news ran with this story. And the report I'm going to mention at the end would confirm that

48:09 Thissa flooded the media with money to publish this story. Wow, So they rang with the story, calling it a crime of passion. Other COPING members were treated like suspects, including Tomas Gomez, Lyria Lopez, who was that financial coordinator who was like, don't be silly, but nothing's going to happen to you, and Gustabo Gastro himself was treated like a suspect. That's going Wow. The agent in charge of the investigation slash crime scene, it was Subcommissioner Rolando Casco Torres, who would regularly send officers against COPING protesters. Whenever this I asked for them, like he was like out there, they said jump, he jumped, They said sid he sat. This is who was in charge of the investigation. Wow. When the autopsy was to take place, the family requested for a medical observd to be present. That request was denied.

49:04 On March fourth, Gustavo was returned to the crime scene under the guise of helping investigators reconstruct the murder, and for some reason, the police also had Lito there. When Gustavo described what he remembered, which of course confirmed that Letho was not there, he was told he was free and he could return to Mexico. So now we're on March fifth, March fifth was her burial service and thousands thousands were there for her burial service. There was traditional maya linka and garifuna smoke ceremonies speeches. That same day, Olivia, Berta, Laura and sal Berta's four kids gave a press conference in which they expressed a lack of confidence in the hun during government's investigation. They described Bertha's murder as a political act and called for an international investigation. So at the same time as that this was happening, on the fifth of March, Gustavo Castro was at the airport because they told him he could go. They said, you're free to go, return to Mexico, like leave. So he was at the airport. We're doing that what he was sold to do. When he was surrounded by police and then not allowed to leave for another thirty hours. Wow. They wanted him to testify against the guard Ismael Lemus, who said he had seen Lydo on the truck with Tomas.

50:25 Gustavo gave his testimony which made that guard same and fall apart. Then Gustavo was told he could not leave on Dudas for another thirty days, which is like illegal. The guard on the other hand, was never seen again. If it weren't for the international pressure placed on the government of Honduras. Who even knows that Gustavo Castro would have been allowed to leave after those thirty days were up. Yeah, but he was eventually allowed to return to Mexico. Copin and Berta's family were publicly calling out for Berta's murder. This made and her murder made international headlines. Even Leonardo DiCaprio tweeted about it. Sometimes he's an environmentalist, Yeah, Sometimes not when he's on a yawn and partying with bezos, But yeah, exactly. Also Naomi Klein, the author of the shop Doctrine, Drenete Perez of Oh yeah, I forget, I always forget he has a real name. I'm like who?

51:34 And Nicolas Maduro Okay. There were protests around the world in response to this. In the meantime, this I was trying to distance themselves from everything, and they continue to blame Letho for everything. When Nina, the author slash journalist of this book my main source, met with Julisa Duda, says chief forensic doctor, Julisa assured her that evidence pointed toward Ario Molina, which is lit really Yeah? So she was like, he did it? We have evidence proving that it was him and it was not him, but there was for sure there was two people in the home. Yes, So who also are they saying was involved? They weren't the ridiculous they were just blaming Liton And of course it was like impossible for it to be him. He was three hours away when this happened. He got there at five am with his dad, So yeah, it wasn't him.

52:39 He was finally like lego of all charges. About a month later, in mid April, community leaders gathered at the stadium in Tegua for a Erta vive gathering, which they still say like they get together at and it's like beautiful to hear. But during this gathering, Thisa coordinated with local police to attack the gathering and yeah, they were thrones. What are they called, smoke grenades? Wow? Things like that. Yeah. And despite the international attention on Honduras because of Berta's murder, another COPEIN member, Nelson Garcia, was killed thirteen days after Bertha really wow. And then three months after that, Lesbia Jannette Urgilla, who opposed the Aurora dam in San Josela pass was so beaten to death after she left her house on her bike.

53:34 Wow. So three activists in a short period of time. Yeah, fighting against the dam mm hmm. Yeah, but her the last one, she was it was a different dam. Oh I see, But there was because there was a lot of dams happening. Yeah, the Iowa Sarka dam was like two locations, Oh, I see, and then this other one was a different one completely. Berta's family continued to bring attention to the murder they traveled wherever they were invited to talk about Berta. In one interview, Bertita, who was twenty five when Berta was murdered, said, quote, it's very easy to pay people to commit murders in Honduras, but those who are behind this are other powerful people with money and an apparatus that allows them to commit these crimes.

54:18 They paid assassins on several occasions to kill her. The then president of Onduras who was recently pardoned by Donald Trump. Yeah, this is the sime, the one that Hillary Clinton. What's it called the coup? No? No, no, that was Lobo or something. Okay, his the name was Lobo. I don't remember his name other than Lobo or Yeah, I think it was Lobo. Yeah. Anyway, No, Alvarado is the one that was pardoned by Trump, and he was president at the time of Berta cassid Is his murder, and he refused to meet with the family. Of course he didn't. He's a piece of chiah. Even after interne national pressure and Amnesty International actually said quote the fact that during President Kuan Orlando Nandez Avanado is still refusing to meet with Breta Gasidus's relatives, other human rights defenders and Amnesty International is simply inexcusable. Burying his head in the sand will only put the lives in safety, have more activists in grave danger. The family has spent so much time calling out DESA, and yet it wasn't until one month after Bereta's murder that Unduran authorities announced they were searching DESA's offices. Then, on May two, twenty sixteen, four were arrested in a raid called Operation Janguar. These four were Douglas Bustigo, the executive chief, Seido Rodriguez, the

55:50 community and an environmental manager at DESSA. So this is the guy who went up to her during that protest and said, we have gunmen at the river, and I'm not responsible if anything happens that was him. These are names we've heard already coming go between the past three parts. The other two arrested were Eddylson Mesa, a former Army captain, and Mariano Dias, a special forces major and military police trainer. Emerson Dute, Messa's twin. Edilson, was later was arrested that same day, making him the fifth arrested that day, and a gun linking Emerson to the murder was found at his home. Then, in June twenty sixteen, an article with the headline Berta Cassell's name was on a Hunduran military hit list was released, which like made uh media rounds because like what a headline? Yeah. This was written by Nina, the author of the book. She had talked to an eyewitnessed an Army deserter who didn't just see the hit list, but was in the unit who was ordered to carry it out. He was Rodrigo Cruz, part of a sixteen man squad with the Military Agency tax Force Task Force in Iwuan. This is who I mentioned at the top who had committed that massacre. Yeah, this is them in Iwan.

57:20 He chose to desert and flee the country a whistle blower. Yes, and we cannot get into it because of time. But this unit, the training of this unit was found to be like utterly brutal and humanizing. Of course, how else can you just do such horrible things like a massacre and killing innocent people. Right when he got to you know, his duty station, he was like, yeah, everyone here just does what they're told. It doesn't matter. But he began to see things that made him question everything, Like the training wasn't enough to mind wash him. You know, you couldn't be brainwashed. Yeah, yep, that's what mind That's that's the word. I was looking for a word for it. Yes, okay, So yeah, he saw torture chambers, the use of their unit and these torture chambers against campesinos, all in the name of it wasn't a damn out there, but it was another like a similar capitalistic project. Yeah, I don't remember what it was out there. It was a company though, I think obviously it was a company doing something. I don't remember what though. So, yeah, he saw his unit being used against the Campecinos fighting for their land. He saw the unit was responsible for hiding human remains like digging up holes, putting remains in the holes and burning these bodies. Like he saw this.

58:44 Wow. He another time, there's like an instance of them feeding feeding human remains to alligators. Oh my god. And so this was already like too much for him. Then he saw some papers that fell out of his commanders vest. He picked them up and flipped through the pages and that's when he saw it was like a list of names and pictures Juan Gallindo, Jime Cabrera, Joni Rivas, and Berta Casseires, all activists. He picked them up the papers, and the commanders like did you see the list? And he or did you see the papers? And he was like no. But this is when he began to question orders because he recognized Berta Gasidis's name as well as Quan Gallindo and Guangallindo was someone his family knew. And he's like, is this a hit list? And so at one point he told his commander that he was a Christian and he could not kill any more decent people.

59:36 He was then placed on leave. During this leave, he told his dad about the list he saw, and his dad convinced him to tell someone. So they went to activists in the area told him about the list, and after that he fled the country and then spoke to you know, the author of the book. On September eight, twenty sixteen, Elvin Comanche Rapallo Orellana was arrested. He was the sixth arrest for Beda's murder. Then Henry Jabert Ernandez, an ex Special Forces sergeant, was arrested on January twelve, twenty seventeen. He was found in Renosa, Mexico. Oh wow, he was the seventh arrest and the only one who had admitted to being inside Breda's house that night. So how many people were in the actual home? Four? Oh? Hello, hello, this is editing Cristina from the future. I meant to say three. Three were inside the house. Three were sentenced for you know, being inside the house, and then four for being the masterminds or the organizers slash planners of the murder, which I think I clarify later, but I wanted to clarify here. It's three, not four. One of the twins will be found not guilty, So okay, back to the episode. One month later, Oscar Aroldo Torres was arrested and he is the one who matched Gustavo Gastro's

1:01:09 description of the gunman. In February, it was reported that three of the a who had been arrested were linked to US trained elite troops, and two Mariano Dias and Douglas Bustillo, were trained at the School of Americas. And then I haven't mentioned him, but Dave Castillo was trained for Benning, not not for Benning. Oh my god, what's the Collegeood? No, the college, it's like a college where lieutenants go. Yeah, West Point. I was like, just a p there's a P in it. But for some reason, I can only think of the pit. Did you start watching it? You know? Okay you should. I wasn't to say it, just I don't know what the word is, but like at this point, pattern recognition and just something obvious that the United States would be someone involved in horrible things like this, right, and like these yeah, uh military like special military uh units that kill and torture oppress.

1:02:17 They're trained by the United States, and like we're always criticizing that, right, And then people for some strange reason and feel the need to defend the military of all things, in the United States, of all things, and they're like, oh, US trained, and I'm like, Okay, the United States around the world since the dawn of time and now are involved in horrific things, like why. Do you feel the need stop defending them? To defend this, like it's the indefensible, disgusting, and no one is wrong for criticizing the United States in this point. And I think I see a lot of times like, oh, the United States can control what they do, but like they literally train but also fund these organizations, the units, death squads whatnot through US foreign aid. Yes, and there's a process of utter dehumanization of the person going through this system where they believe that they are doing the right thing, that they are fighting quote unquote vermin.

1:03:21 There's a process and so yeah, and I didn't include it in my notes for the sake of time, but now I want to mention it. Mariano Dass when the trial happened, well, when he was arrested and his family found out, his sister was devastated because she looked up to black acid. Wow. He was from like a poor area of Honduras. He joined the military and this is common too, right, like people from impoverished areas who have no means of you know, making their way through life, end up doing these sign up for these horribic groups. Yes, he joined the military initially because he liked guns, of course, for the reason when he was a teen, like a teen boy, you know, like eighteen whatever, and he rose up through the rings because he was, you know, despite his poor background, bright and smart and wanted to get to the top. And that's how he ended up in this like elite unit being trained by the School of Americas.

1:04:21 But his sister was devastated and couldn't believe that he would do something like this. Wow. Yeah. So March twenty eighteen, David Castillo who his name has come up as well, was arrested accused of being the mastermind behind her murder. He was the executive president of Dessa Everyone and the ninth person to be arrested. The trial was set for the seventeenth of September of that year. Protests and counter protests were present, but the trial was postponed due to an appeal MADA made by the family who believe justice would not come with these current judges because of their history of corruption. Makes sense, Yeah, So the trial was back on on October twenty fifth, twenty eighteen. The defendants accused of planning the attack were Serjiro Rodriguez, Orejana Douglas, Giovanni Ustillo, Mariano Dias and Henry Hetnandez Rodriguez. I miss somewhere in here Davi Gacillo. Oh, well that with Gacio was charged separate from them. That's why, because he was the mastermind. Yeah, okay, So the defendants accused of shooting of the shootings. So these are the four that were involved in the planning. Now the four accused of the shooting of Cartres Velaskiz, Elvin Rapallo, Areana and Edilson and m Deerson the twins. Text messages revealed during the trial

1:05:53 connect the defendants together and also implicate the powerful Atala family. And I think I'm entering them. I don't know when I want to say. It was earlier on Yeah, let me go to a page. I wanted to read some of these text messages. So, Danielle Atala, I got you. Motherfuckers just found out one of those copine sons of bitches left the country asking for political asylum in Norway, Lo Olson Mache. His name is a Leano do Miguez Lito, a murderer. I like to have a face to face le Monto, I fucked him up, I swear. Maria Fernanda replied, A oh my god, d A or Danielata, I see him in the street and I'll fuck him up. Maria replied, stay away, don't even think about it. Danielattala replied, he's leaving today. Madia replied, but that's good. They're scared. Danielle replied for the three Berta and Tomas three meters and she wrote, I Leana wants a wii wowkawi for no no wow. I don't know what she means by that though.

1:07:06 I don't know, like can you see, oh yeah, I call wi no. I don't know. H yeah, I don't know what what that means now. But but why does he want to leave because there's an arrest warrant. I've spent a lot of money. Oh sorry, and now this is Daniella Tala. I spent a lot of money and political gain to get those three arrest warrants. So this is about twenty thirteen. Was still yeah when they were initially arrested for the uh supposed damaging of the equipment of DESA's equipment and so here he literally sings, I spent a lot of money in political capital to get those three arrestaurants. And then he wrote, after seeing them commit five hundred crimes, it's really something the problem of impunity and adulas. He wrote that no, and he paid for them to be charged with a false crime. Wow, what the hell? Yeah, he thought nothing about what he did exactly. But these these text messages like would eventually connect everyone the way it was all planned out, going back to like at least a year before the actual murder.

1:08:28 These text messages were also unsurprisingly full of racism. On December four to thirteen, Daniela Talla wrote, these Indians think that women will become infertile because of the damn. He called them half breeds in twenty fourteen. He wrote in March twenty twelve, I'm sitting at a table and to indios came in to invade my space and there's twenty empty tables, Like why are they sitting near me? So that's just an example of the kind of link which that he, you know, used, and I don't know. This just goes to show I don't know the racism, machismo and obviously money and capitalism, like all these things are connected and all were at play when she was murdered.

1:09:16 I didn't like fully get into it here, but her daughters called it a political femicide. Yeah, which absolutely, but also like I wish I remembered which one because I confused the two if it was Dabid Gastillo or Douglas Bustillo. But one of them would like occasionally send like messages like my life needs nothing without you. You mean so much to me, Tuberta. I just don't know which one of the two it was, but one of them for sure was doing this and then towards the end of her life, I think it was Castillo, not Bustillo, also pretended to be like try and be her friend, and they were not part of this anymore. But so yeah, there was like some sort of like sexual component to them. Yeah, I just I didn't write down which one of the two, but for sure one of them. It's just their names are so similar. The trial also revealed a previous plot to kill her a month before, but it was aborted because Laura and Bertita happened to be visiting Bertha. Since we're still on the trial, I wanted to share Laura and Olivia their victim statements. Also, Olivia had given birth a month just a month earlier, so like, I don't know, literally standing at that stage is painful, and yet there

1:10:46 she was. So both of them spoke, and I'm just going to share their statements back to back. Let me fix my ear, but it's slided out, okay. Berta Cantidents was a person who struggled, who was rebellious, who confronted the Awa Sarka hydroelectric project because they violated human rights, a project that caused bloodshed in link Goad Territory. Today, it's up to me to speak something I don't want to do because no one wants to talk after their mother has been murdered. It's up to me to speak because this justice system didn't allow us to participate in this process. It expelled us. Oh yeah, their lawyers were I don't remember what excuse the meta, but their lawyers were fired and they had to use public defenders for the trial. It had something to do with the caravan, the huge caravan that was migrating, yeah to the US, and they were like put a stack to this caravan, and so the lawyers, I don't remember exactly, something about like the military and police were sent down to the caravan to stop them from leaving on Duras and then everyone was being arrested without fair trials, and so somehow the president basically forced these lawyers to leave the trial to go help people in this caravan being like illegally arrested, Well something like that. Just don't quote me, but it was something like that happening. So yeah, they were left without a lawyer team. Okay, let me continue this quote. Now.

1:12:10 Our lawyers should be here explaining the context in which this murder occurred, how they hunted her down. From the moment my mom was murdered, we were excluded from the process. We've had to fight for information at every moment, every step of the way. We didn't do it on a whim. We did it because we were prepared to do everything necessary to get the truth, because we understand that it's our right, because we understand that it's the right of the Hindant people. We've been meticulous. We have asked for the court to be rescued, and we have even filed a complaint against state prosecutors because we want the best trial. This is an important moment to make legal precedents for the people of this country, who are fleeing, who are bleeding. This was the opportunity to do it. The struggle for justice Forberta Cassidis does not end here. We are not passive victims. We will act because Berta Cassids deserves it, because the Lenka people deserve it, because they keep on persecuting us even now, because this criminal structure that killed Berta Cassides is still active. And they should have been the last people to speak, but for some reason they let the defendants speak after them, where they still Each defendant was like, I'm anacing, but should the fuck go?

1:13:26 Even with the botched on purpose investigation, the evidence was like so strong again, phone messages between the group, phone records placing them at her house, you know, so so yeah, the evidence was strong enough to convict and the trial ended with the conviction of seven. One of the twins was like, actually not guilty. I just don't know which one right now, I wrote later, so this is now November. Before that though, on Day of the Dead, members of Copine were tear gas when trying to place an altar Forberta at the courthouse. Oh wow. So when the verdict was read, seven of the eight were found guilty. Oh Emmerson Duarte, he's the twin who was not guilty, But the rest were all found guilty. Friends and family, though they didn't celebrate. Instead, they issued a call to revoke this SA's license for the Awua Sarka damn so the people of Rio Blanco could finally live in peace. They said to the press and the crowds, we demand that the masterminds behind the murder be brought to justice. We demand justice Froberta Gaseides in a country with so much impunity, not just for our family, but for the rest before the Lennga people, for Hoduras and all the environmentalists who've lost their lives. Our battle for dignity, truth and justice does not end here. We will keep fighting, just like

1:14:57 Berta Gasids did. And so the sentence one of the seven, even though they were found guilty, wasn't done until December twenty nineteen. Oh wow. The four hitmen were sentenced to thirty four years for the murder of Berta Cassides, plus sixteen years for the attempted murder of Gustavo Castro. The other three defendants received thirty year sentences for helping organize the assassination. Then, in twenty twenty one, Da Vid Castillo was found guilty of polotin the assassination of Berta cassides by the Supreme Court in a unanimous ruling. This trial lasted forty nine days. The ruling stated that Castillo had used paid informants and military contracts to monitor Berta Casides, and he was the one who coordinated, planned and obtained the money to pay for the assassination. However, the family continues calling for justice to this day because although he was the mastermind behind the plan, he was not the person at the top. The people at the top were the Danielle Attala who I mentioned already, and another Atala member I can't remember his name. But this is all in the GIEI report, the long one, Yes, the five hundred page report. They published it in January. Ooh, was it January twenty twenty six or twenty thirty five? One of those two very recently two recently honestly. Yeah. So this is a group of specialists from different disciplines focused on conducting independent and specialized investigations and in Onduras, I

1:16:33 want to say twenty twenty two was when they started investigating Erta Casseres. Yeah, and so they in their report they found that international banks and Hunduran elites were at the center of herd murder. They used more than eighteen point five million dollars provided by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, the b c i E and the Dune Development Bank FMO for the Aguasarka hydro electric project to pay for surveillance and intelligence operations and the assassination Erda cassad is damn eighteen point five million dollars. That is a shit ton, Yes, and this is the report that specifically implicate implicates those two banks. And yes, Daniela Talla, who I already named Jose Eduardo Atala as well, and Pedro Atala and that's the two other names that I was looking for. So there was a chat found by this report specifically where you know, together Castillo, who is already in sentence and in jail is talk is like planning, plotting with Daniela Tala and Pedro Atala and out of them like he's the only way in jail. Oh wow.

1:18:01 And this is a very rich, powerful like family who's been super rich and powerful for a very long time in Nondudas and so like they're basically in searchible, but they were involved. And yeah, the report just like lays out how this went down, all the messages, all the transfer of money that happened, and how the plan to like initially kill her was made two years before between all of them they realized they had to like kill Bertha too because without her coping, they believed, without her coping would give up. And so the Atala family has denied their role in the killing, but the financial trail from the report makes it pretty clear and it makes it quote very difficult to accept that they were unaware of how those funds were ultimately used. So yeah, Castillo was in direct communication with for sure Daniela Tala, but the other three were our be like aware And in twenty twenty three, prosecutors did issue in a rest warrant for Danielle Atala, but he as of right now remains a fugitive. But FMO the bank or the other Atala Tea found members named in the report, they have like yet to face any accountability for any of this, and so they're calling, you know, for full accountability and that like justice won't end until until everyone faces some kind of charges or some accountability or something exactly. Yeah, and yeah,

1:19:36 that was the last part of Berta Casides. I did leave out all of the recognition awards that she's received since her death. They're endless and coping continues their fight, still seeking justice for Berta Casaids as well. I found something from twenty twenty two, but it hasn't been updated since then, and it's a website that tracks dodgy deals that banks make called bank truck interesting. Oh and they have a page on Nahwasarka hydro project and it says, following the death of Bettacasids and the ongoing human rights violations, all financiers FMO, finfund and KAPI must immediately terminate to support for the project and leave. And then it says update July twenty seventeen, FML and finfund confirmed their exsit from the project. So yeah, I mean it sounds like the major backers financial backers backed out in twenty seventeen after her murder. Yeah, I think that's what it is.

1:20:38 The Iwasaka project specifically was stopped because of the the major funding pulled out and lighter her murder, but things like it are still happening. Yeah, Okay, and now that was the end of part four. Wow, wow, wow, finally all the parts are in and I will listen in a row. Yeah, in a row? No, I don't think so. I guess a reminder to everyone, maybe we should say at the top for anyone that doesn't get to the end of the episodes that we are on in every other week schedule now and for the foreseeable feature until Miss Mama Let's research over here graduates. Yes, yes, and you can still catch us though every week if you are a Patreon member. Yeah. Or also if you if you alternate your listens between the Spooky Toes and Studia's Unknown, there'll be live toes every week. Yeah, it's one week one and one week the other. So or a Patreon like you said, where we yap about current events and the horrible state of things. Sometimes fun stuff, yeah, yeah, sometimes fun stuff. I forget what we talked about last so, oh the thing at the White House Correspondent dinner. Oh yeah, that thing? That thing? Yes, okay, Well, and if you want to listen to that, yeah, head over to Patreon.

1:22:07 And other than that, we'll catch you next time. And we hope this was one less Estoria Unknown for you Bye Bye. Estoria Unknown is produced by Carmen and Christina, researched by Carmen and Christina, edited by Christina. You can find sources for every episode at estoria's unknown dot com and in our show notes. Creating the podcast has a lot of work, so if you want to help us out financially, you can do so by supporting us on Patreon at Patreon dot com. Slash studio as an own podcast