The Honorable William J. Clinton
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We are again writing concerning the declassification and release of documents pertaining to human rights abuses in Honduras during the 1980's.
While we welcome your commitment to encourage all relevant U.S. agencies to conduct an expedited review and declassification of documents regarding human rights violations in Honduras, we remain concerned that, as of this date, the only agency that has declassified a significant number of documents and made them available to the Government of Honduras is the Department of State.
The Department of Defense, which is supposed to be "in the final stages of its review and declassification," has declassified only 34 documents. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has declassified only 36 documents, all of which are related to the case of Father James Carney's disappearance. This is far from sufficient. The request for declassification presented by Honduran Human Rights Ombudsman Leo Valladares covers documents pertaining to five specific cases in addition to that of Father Carney, as well as documents concerning General Gustavo Alvarez Martinez and Battalion 3-16. We have received no indication as to when, or whether, the DOD or the CIA will declassify its documents on these subjects.
We continue to believe, along with Dr. Valladares and Honduran government, that declassification and release of these documents to the Government of Honduras is necessary to strengthen democracy in that country. Those who have operated with impunity in the past are resisting efforts to promote the climate and structures that will guarantee basic rights and freedoms for all Honduran citizens. By declassifying our files, we can bring an end to this situation and clear the way to prosecuting those individuals who are guilty of human rights violations.
We request, Mr. President, that you instruct the relevant agencies, namely the DOD and the CIA, to expedite the declassification and release of documents on all of the subjects identified by Mr. Valladares, by an agreed upon date.
In addition, we believe it would be beneficial for you to meet with President Reina during his visit to Washington the week of May 19-23, when he will receive an award from American University for his lifelong commitment to human rights. It is important for you to hear directly from him how critical it is for the requested documents to be released to his government.
We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
John Edward Porter John Olver William Lipinski Alcee Hastings Martin Meehan Bobby Rush Tom Lantos Lloyd Doggett James McGovern Cynthia McKinney Connie Morella Sam Farr Howard Berman Peter Visclosky Louise McIntosh Slaughter Marcy Kaptur Bob Franks Lucille Roybal-Allard Elizabeth Furse Pete Stark John Conyers Sherrod Brown Robert Underwood John Lewis Lynn Rivers Melvin Watt William Clay Sidney Yates Luis Gutierrez Patrick Kennedy Thomas Petri Peter DeFazio Joseph Kennedy Ronald Dellums Glenn Poshard George Brown Phil English Jose Serrano Jerry Costello James Oberstar Carolyn Maloney Vic Fazio Esteban Torres Matthew Martinez Jesse Jackson, Jr. Walter Capps Rod Blagojevich Jim McDermott Lynn Woolsey David Price Michael McNulty