Introducing: Blood River, A New Podcast From Bloomberg

The killers of Berta Caceres had every reason to believe they’d get away with murder. More than 100 other environmental activists in Honduras had been killed in the previous five years, yet almost no one had been punished for the crimes. Bloomberg’s Blood River follows a four-year quest to find her killers – a twisting trail that leads into the country’s circles of power.

Blood River premieres on July 27.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Berta Cassarus was one of the most influential advocates for
indigenous and women's rights in Honduras lardis Criminacion con and
when she began leading a protest campaign against a proposed
hydro electric dam, she became one of the most celebrated

(00:31):
environmental activists anywhere. Honduras was known as the most dangerous
place in the world for environmental activists. More than one
hundred had been reported killed in just the previous five years.
She told friends about threatening phone calls she'd get. She said,
strange cars followed her on the road. She knew that

(00:55):
she was very much still being targeted and still at
risk of being killed. Berta was the most powerful activist
in her country, but none of the accolades could protect her.
In the end, a prominent environmental rights activists was shot
dead into Juras on Thursday, prompting protests in the capital.

(01:21):
My name is monte Real, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg Green.
On the upcoming podcast Blood River, we tell the story
of a murder murder in a place where murderers thrive,
where about of all homicides are left unsolved and unpunished.

(01:46):
Hounder and police claimed that she was killed and a
robbery gone wrong, but her family, friends and supporters are
convinced that her death was a political assassination. It's a
story full of deception, false leads, and cruel twists. It's
about money, power, political influence, and the violence that goes

(02:08):
along with them. That violence didn't begin or end with Berta.
I threw myself towards the side of the bed in
my room to protect myself, and the gunmen shot me
in the head. I said, don't call the police, you know,
because calling the police on honderous it's like calling the
mafia to crime scene, and you can't trust them. We'll

(02:31):
hear from victims, investigators, and eyewitnesses, the communities that fought
alongside Berta, and the executives on the receiving end of
that activism. We'll go into their homes, their offices, and
in some cases, their prison cell All of them now
face the same question, who, in the end, is really

(02:55):
responsible for the death of Berta Cassidys and what does
justice actually look like in a place where killers almost
always walk away untouched. We think it's quite possible that
there's more to this crime then has been exposed. So far.

(03:21):
Blood River launches on July. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
or wherever you get your podcasts. H