Campaign for Declassification of Guatemala Files id WAA06476; Mon, 29 Sep 1997 22:46:37 -0400 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source: ghrc@igc.apc.org 9/23/97 URGENT ACTION CAMPAIGN FOR DECLASSIFICATION OF GUATEMALA FILES September, 1997 Dear Friends, We are profoundly concerned over the continued failure and refusal of the administration to grant meaningful declassification of human rights information on Guatemala. The Guatemalan Truth Commission, which began its work on July 31st, has only one year to carry out its mandate and it needs the documents now that are stored away in the voluminous files of US intelligence agencies. Therefore, we are writing to ask your help again for the next phase of our declassification campaign which consists of three very important actions: * First, and most importantly, we must persuade President Clinton to issue an executive order for the release of ALL files on human rights violations in Guatemala since 1954; * Second, we must convince members of the Senate to sign on as co-sponsors to the Dodd-Bingaman-Bumpers Declassification Bill to be introduced by the end of September; * Third, we must convince members of the House to sign on as co-sponsors to the Lantos Declassification Bill which will be introduced in October. The President continues to maintain that many documents have been released. Some documents concerning abuses against individual U.S. citizens have been declassified but little meaningful information has been made public. Many documents are so heavily blacked out that they are almost unreadable; some are blank sheets of paper, while others are mere copies of letters sent by supporters to their representatives, and official form letters sent in response. Documents regarding the 1954 coup against President Arbenz were made public in May, however nothing about the 200,000 official death squad murders and "disappearances" in Guatemala since 1980 have been released. To achieve lasting peace, the people of Guatemala need to know the truth about what happened in their country from 1954 to the present. Given the history of its involvement in the affairs of Guatemala, the United States has a profound moral obligation to help in this search for truth by providing documents--memos, cables, military and intelligence reports, and electronic intercepts--that could be indispensable to the Truth Commission in clarifying the broader history of violence against Guatemalans. PRESIDENT CLINTON CAN ORDER DOCUMENT RELEASE WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN. ACTIONS 1. Write and/or call President Clinton and request that he sign an executive order for declassification of ALL U.S. documents pertaining to human rights violations in Guatemala from 1954 to the present. Phone: (202)456-1111. Write: President Bill Clinton The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20510 2. Write and/or call your 2 Senators and ask them to sign on to the Dodd-Bingaman-Bumpers Declassification Bill as soon as it is introduced in September. 3. Write and/or call your representative and ask him/her to sign on to the Lantos Declassification Bill when it is introduced in October. If you are told that declassification costs too much, say that money has already been set aside in the Intelligence Appropriations Bill for declassification on Guatemala and Honduras. Phone: U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202)224-3121. Ask for your Senator and Representative. Write: Senators' address: United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510; Representatives' address: United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 TALKING POINTS * Christian Tomuschat, head of the Truth Commission, has requested declassification of US documents. Failure to declassify would constitute a serious obstacle to the Truth Commission's work, as well as de facto obstruction of justice on the part of the U.S. government. * On August 1, the Truth Commission began its investigation into the hundreds of massacres and thousands of human rights violations committed during the Guatemalan war. It has one year to carry out this immense task, so time is of the essence. * 141 Guatemalans representing 42 human rights groups have sent a petition to the President from Guatemala requesting declassification of documents, as have 200 U.S. non- governmental organizations. These groups represent the tip of the iceberg. 103 U.S. representatives signed a Dear Colleague letter in 1996 asking for declassification. * The United States played a key role in derailing democracy in Guatemala in the 1950s so it has a moral obligation to help the Guatemalan people discover the truth as they confront their history, establish accountability and try to end the cycle of impunity. Please call with any questions or comments, and let us know what the White House and Senate responses are. WE NEED TO MAKE THIS DRIVE AS MASSIVE AS POSSIBLE AND ONCE AGAIN WE NEED YOUR HELP. ONLY THE PEOPLE CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN. Thank you in advance! And thanks from our Guatemalan friends. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-09.29.97-22:46:37-16408