More than a month after the kidnapping of four Garifuna leaders from the community of Triunfo de la Cruz, demonstrations demanding that they be brought back alive continue across Honduras. We spoke to Edgardo Benedit, a leader of the community, about the Garifuna people’s struggle for their lands and against the attacks they have experienced in recent years.

The kidnapping of four indigenous community leaders and activists by police in Honduras has sparked nationwide protests demanding answers for their disappearance. The murder and abduction of indigenous land defenders in Honduras has increased dramatically in recent years, especially since the U.S.-backed coup of 2009.