An aerial view of a village called Irotatheri as Yanomami Indians stand at the main courtyard in Venezuela's Amazon region. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
In 1994, the UN General Assembly elected on 9 August as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Since then, heads of state and high authorities follow the ritual initiated by the UN and participate in solemnities to render homage to the indigenous peoples. International agencies carry out special sessions and its specialized committees issue press releases to remember the rights of indigenous peoples. Although this tradition has been repeated for several years in the countries of Latin America, there are not many reasons to celebrate this year.
So far this year, the region has seen the loss of Berta Cáceres, a Lenca indigenous and founder of the Civic Council of Popular Organizations and Indigenous People of Honduras (COPINH is its acronym in Spanish), who was brutally murdered on 3 March 2016. While the international community was still expressing its indignation, Nelson García and Lesbia Yaneth Urquía, both members of COPINH, joined the list of indigenous and environmental activists killed in Honduras.
