Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 5 March 2018

Dam executive arrested in death of Honduran activist

By FREDDY CUEVAS of Tegucigalpa.
Associated Press Caceres’ relatives said they
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras were certain of Castillo’s
(AP) — Honduran authori- guilt.
ties arrested an executive “There is no doubt that he
with a dam development was one of the material au-
company Friday in the thors of Berta’s death,” said
2016 killing of indigenous her ex-husband, Salvador
and environmental activist Zuniga.
Berta Caceres, calling him “The owners of DESA killed
an intellectual author of a my mother,” said Caceres’
crime that sparked an inter- daughter Olivia Zuniga Ca-
national outcry. ceres, who is now a law-
Roberto David Castillo maker with the Liberty and
Mejia, who at the time of Refoundation Party.
the slaying was executive She said she was promoting
president of the company a parliamentary initiative to
Desarrollos Energeticos SA, cancel the construction of
or DESA, was detained at the Agua Zarca dam.
an airport in San Pedro Sula Caceres and her organi-
as he was about to fly to zation known as Copinh
Houston, Texas, said Jorge opposed DESA’s Agua
Galindo, a spokesman for Zarca hydroelectric proj-
the prosecutors’ office. ect, which is on her Lenca
It was the ninth arrest in the Roberto David Castillo, center, is taken into custody by the police as he is walked to the Technical indigenous people’s lands.
Investigation Agency in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Friday, March 2, 2018. A Public Ministry statement
killing of Caceres, a Gold- identifies Castillo in the 2016 killing of indigenous and environmental activist Berta Caceres, calling She was recognized with
man Environmental Prize him an intellectual author of a crime that sparked an international outcry. the prestigious Goldman
winner who was shot to (AP Photo/Fernando Antonio) award for her activism in
death two years ago af- the scene. already being prosecuted tional pressure and cam- 2015. Last October, an in-
ter attackers barged into Two others have been ar- for the crime.” paigns by diverse NGOs to ternational team of law-
her home in La Esperanza. rested for allegedly imped- In a statement, DESA de- discredit the company.” yers issued a report saying
Castillo is charged with be- ing the investigation. fended Castillo and its em- DESA questioned the co- her killing was the product
ing an “intellectual author” The Public Ministry alleges ployees as innocent, saying incidence that the arrest of a coordinated plot four
in the crime, which gener- Castillo was “the person in they were “totally uncon- came on the second an- months in the making in-
ally applies to someone charge of providing logis- nected” to the crime and niversary of Caceres’ kill- volving company employ-
alleged to have been in- tics and other resources to calling the “unjust deten- ing as her supporters held a ees, state and private secu-
volved in a crime but not at one of the material authors tion” the result of “interna- protest in Honduran capital rity forces, and officials.q
4 killed, 24 injured in Poland apartment building collapse

By M. SCISLOWSKA womir Brandt, who gave us!,’” ground floor resident young girl was hospitalized niew Hoffman said it was
Associated Press the death toll. Krzysztof Sledz told state in stable condition, while too early to determine the
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish TV channel TVP INFO news agency PAP. “My two other children were cause of the collapse, but
An apartment building col- showed part of a four-story wife and I dressed and left dismissed after being treat- added that a gas explosion
lapsed Sunday in Poland’s building in a heap and res- the apartment to help the ed for bruises. was one possible explana-
western city of Poznan, kill- cuers checking the debris neighbors.” Displaced residents were tion.
ing four people and injur- in sub-freezing tempera- Sledz said they pulled offered shelter and food at Gas service to the site was
ing 24 others, officials said tures. The search was ex- their neighbor’s 2-year- a nearby hotel. cut off, and the remaining
as firefighters and rescu- pected to continue until old daughter from a bed Officials said the remain- part of the building closed.
ers with dogs combed the Monday. strewn with rubble. ing part of the building was Last April, six people were
rubble in search of more Police and prosecutors “I thought she was dead, unsafe and would be torn killed and four injured when
victims. questioned witnesses at she was blue. But they say down. a gas explosion caused a
The building contained 18 the site. she is in hospital,” Sledz The government has prom- small apartment building to
apartments and housed “We heard this loud bang said. ised shelter and financial collapse in the southwest-
40 residents, according to and then terrible cries from Hospital spokeswoman support for the residents. ern Polish town of Swie-
firefighters’ spokesman Sla- people ‘Save us! Save Urszula Laszynska said one Regional governor Zbig- bodzice. q