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Environmental Activist praise by Leonardo DiCaprio shot dead
Environmental campaigner praised by Leonardo DiCaprio is shot dead at her home in Honduras after she claimed police had made death threats
- Mother-of-four Berta Caceres was gunned down in her home in Honduras
- At least two gunmen stormed shot her dead on Thursday in La Esperanza
- She had infuriated authorities with her outspoken environmental activism
- The activist had complained of death threats from police and soldiers
- Among those to pay tribute to her campaigning was Leonardo DiCaprio
Actor and committed environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio posted this tribute to Instagram after news broke that Caceres had been murdered
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An environmental campaigner praised by Leonardo DiCaprio for her activism has been killed by gunmen who stormed her home and shot her dead.
Berta Caceres, a 43-year old indigenous campaigner in Honduras, was murdered in her home yesterday, her family said, labeling her death an assassination.
The mother-of-four had previously complained of receiving death threats from police, soldiers and local landowners because of her work.
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Berta Caceres speaks to people near the Gualcarque river, Honduras, where she fought relentlessly to protect the indigenous peoples' rights to protect the land from corporate interests
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Caceres was a winner of the 2015 Goldman Prize for leading the indigenous Lenca people in a struggle against a hydroelectric dam project that would flood large areas of native lands and cut off water supplies to hundreds.
Caceres's mother, Berta Flores, said police had indicated her daughter was killed in a robbery, 'but we all know it was because of her struggle.'
And committed environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio issued a tribute, saying the world had lost an 'incredible indigenous leader'.
He said: 'Indigenous communities are targeted, killed for their work fighting for their land and the environment. Berta was a warrior for justice who refused to take the safe road.'
Overnight riots broke out as news of her killing reached her supporters throughout the tiny Central American country.
Incredibly, 101 such environmental advocates have been slain in the country in recent years, making Honduras the most dangerous country per capita to be an environmental activist.
In awarding her the prize, the Goldman organization commended her for carrying on her campaign despite the threats.
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Last year Caceres was awarded (pictured) the Goldman Prize - dubbed by some as the 'Green Nobel' - for her tireless work. On Thursday she was murdered by at least two gunmen who broke into her home
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Honduras, which has seen an explosion of gang violence in recent years, has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
Labor leader Carlos Reyes joined Caceres's mother in insisting that she was not just another victim of violent crime.
'The information from the police is that [attackers] broke into her home from the back and shot her twice, but we all know it's a lie, that they killed her because of her struggle,' said Reyes.
'It's a political crime by the government.'
Security Minister Julian Pacheco said police arrested two people, a security guard at the complex where Caceres lived and another suspect who was wounded, but he did not give further details on the investigation.
He said police had measures in place to protect Caceres, who recently won a ruling by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granting her special security measures.
Police formerly provided her an around-the-clock guard, but switched to an occasional security detail at the activist's own request, he claimed.
However, this claim was dismissed by the Center for Justice and International Law, a rights group, which denied Caceres had turned down bodyguards and accused the government of providing her 'deficient' security.
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Her death caused mourning throughout the tiny Central American country where she was considered a hero among the indigenous people
Mourners place flowers on Caceres' body during the funeral today. Honduras is considered to be the most dangerous country in the world for environmentalists, with more than 100 murdered in the past five years
A human rights activist holds a sign that roughly translates that 'Berta [Caceres] will return'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz41xMYwdzV
 The World just lost a true Hero 
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