‘THE SECRETARY OF STATE WASHINGTON March 30, 2016 Ms. Lisa Haugaard Executive Director Latin America Working Group 2029 P Street, NW, Suite 301 Washington, DC 20036 Dear Ms. Haugaard: ‘Thank you for the letter from you and your colleagues regarding the murder of Honduran environmentalist and human rights defender Berta Caceres. The United States strongly condemned this heinous act and called upon the Honduran government to conduet a prompt, thorough, and transparent investigation to ensure those responsible are brought to justice. We have also called for an investigation into the March 15 murder of Nelson Garcia, U,S. Ambassador to Honduras James Nealon remains in contact with senior officials of the Honduran government, including Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez and Attorney General Oscar Chinchilla, to press for a robust investigation, the protection of key witnesses, and strong protective measures for human rights defenders. He is also in regular communication with Ms. Caceres? family, as well as members of U.S. and Honduran civil society organizations focused on this issue. Several U.S. advisors with extensive experience in criminal investigations and prosecutions are providing technical assistance to Honduran investigators and prosecutors, and we have offered additional U.S. support to aid the government with its investigation. We will continue to closely monitor developments in the investigation. A vibrant and independent civil society, including human rights defenders and environmental activists, is vital to building peaceful, prosperous, inclusive, and fully democratic nations. In 2015, the Honduran government passed a law to provide protection to human rights defenders, but it still has a significant amount of work to do to implement the new mechanism successfully. The government is consulting international NGOs and other governments on how best to put the protective measures into operation. ‘The Department of State monitors the situation of human rights defenders and other historically marginalized populations and advocates for safe political space where they can conduct their valuable work. We appreciate your commitment to shielding human rights defenders and environmental activists, and will convey your messages to the Honduran government, si ly, Va / hh John F. Kerry /