On Thursday 13 at 5pm, Berta Cáceres attorney Marcelino Martinez told Real World Radio that there was not enough evidence against the Honduran activist, therefore she is now allowed to travel outside the country.

Berta was accused of illegal possession of weapons, although the testimony of the military and police officers who searched her car on May 24 were insufficient to back her accusation, said Martinez.

Although the defense demanded that the case be dismissed, the trial will continue and the State through the Prosecutor’s office should approve new elements. During the hearing that lasted almost eight hours, the prosecutor asked for a prison sentence to be issued against Caceres who, has repeatedly exposed that she has received threats.

“It was clear that the army officers were obeying orders and there were serious contradictions in their declarations. The police did not investigate, but it just repeated the Army’s version of the facts”.

It was a tyring day in Santa Barbara, where the military responsable for seizing the illegal weapon found in COPINH’s vehicle attended the hearing in uniforms.
Several delegates arrived from different parts of the country in response to a call for solidarity with Berta.

Representatives from over 40 organizations surrounded the court room yesterday morning, in the first hearing against COPINH’s coordinator.
Several representatives spoke with Telma Hernandez of radio Guarajambala and expressed their determination to prevent Berta’s imprisonment.

In Tegucigalpa, el Aguan, Rio Blanco region the communities have been mobilizing for over 70 days against the installation of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric Project. This mobilization was led by Berta and COPINH’s indigenous communicator when they were arrested on May 24. Peasant women, ancient people’s councils, indigenous, the National Front of Popular Resistance and other social and political organizations also participated in the resistance to the project.