Jeanette Kawas

Blanca Jeanette Kawas Fernández (16 January 1946 – 6 February 1995) was a Honduran female environmental activist, known for her role on saving more than 400 species of flora and fauna during her late years.^[1]

Biography

Kawas started her studies in the school "Miguel Paz Barahona" and achieved her title of Expert Accountant and Certified Public Accountant in 1967, after that she began working on some financial institutions during the 1970s.

Between 1977 and 1979 she meets and marries Mr. Jim Watt, giving birth to two children: Damaris and Jaime.

In the early 1980s she amoved with her children to the city of New Orleans where she studied computation, obtaining various certificates, awards and citations for his achievement and academic excellence. In the early 1990s she began her role working in the Honduran Ecology Association. The Jeannette Kawas activities and the progress made to preserve 449 plant species, diversity of flora and fauna, coastal lagoons, rocky outcrops, swamps, mangroves, rocky shores, sandy beaches and rainforest located in a coastal strip of 40 kilometers, were an obstacle to business projects.^[2]

Murder

On February 6, 1995 around 7:45 PM Kawas was shot by two unidentified suspects at her house in Barrio El Centro in Tela, Atlántida. Between the murder suspects were Colonel Mario Amaya (known as Tigre Amaya), who reportedly met with the sergeant Ismael Perdomo and Mario Pineda (aka Chapin) in the police headquarters in Tela.

Aftermath

Since there was no more interest in Honduran justice operators in resolving her crime, on January 13, 2003 the Team of Reflection, Research and Communication (ERIC) of the Society of Jesus and the Centre for International Justice (CEJIL) send to the Interamerican Human Rights Commission three individual requests, in which they responsabilize the State of Honduras for the murder of Jeanette Kawas, Carlos Escaleras and Carlos Luna.

See also

• Jeanette Kawas National Park

References