[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 9, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H7453-H7457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENSE OF THE HOUSE DEPLORING TRAGIC AND SENSELESS MURDER OF BISHOP JUAN 
                              JOSE GERARDI

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 421) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives deploring the tragic and senseless murder of Bishop 
Juan Jose Gerardi, calling on the Government of Guatemala to 
expeditiously bring those responsible for the crime to justice, and 
calling on the people of Guatemala to reaffirm their commitment to 
continue to implement the peace accords without interruption.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 421

       Whereas on December 29, 1996, the Government of Guatemala 
     and the representatives

[[Page H7454]]

     of the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca signed a 
     historic peace accord ending 36 years of armed confrontation;
       Whereas the peace accords, which included as the primary 
     goals lasting peace, national reconciliation, and political 
     stability for all Guatemalans, are being successfully 
     implemented;
       Whereas the peace accords included the creation of 
     individual commissions to implement a wide range of reforms 
     to the political, social, and judicial systems of Guatemala, 
     including an enhanced respect for human rights and the rule 
     of law;
       Whereas, despite the fact that crime and violence remain 
     prevalent in Guatemala, the human rights situation has 
     improved over the last several years, allowing for the 
     creation of special investigative commissions on human rights 
     abuses, the prosecution of those involved in past human 
     rights-related crimes, and the ability of human rights groups 
     to operate with freedom;
       Whereas, in recognition that the human rights situation in 
     Guatemala had improved significantly, the United Nations 
     Human Rights Commission voted to remove Guatemala from its 
     list of countries under observation for abuses;
       Whereas on Sunday, April 26, 1998, Guatemalan Roman 
     Catholic Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi was brutally and 
     senselessly murdered just 48 hours after presenting a 
     landmark report detailing significant human rights atrocities 
     associated with the 36-year civil war in Guatemala;
       Whereas Bishop Gerardi, while considered a common man, 
     dedicated to his ministry, was also considered one of 
     Guatemala's most progressive clergymen, an outspoken human 
     rights advocate, and was the author of the recent report 
     ``Guatemala: Never Again'', the first comprehensive 
     examination of human rights violations committed during the 
     decades of political violence which engulfed that nation;
       Whereas the slaying of Bishop Gerardi casts a pall over the 
     effectiveness of the peace accords and raises questions 
     regarding the national commitment to human rights and freedom 
     of expression; and
       Whereas the expeditious and successful resolution of the 
     tragic death of Bishop Gerardi is critical for the 
     continuation of support for the peace accords: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that--
       (1) the Government of Guatemala, including the national 
     police and the military, should commit themselves to take all 
     steps necessary to resolve the heinous murder of Guatemalan 
     Roman Catholic Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi;
       (2) in order to deter continued human rights abuses, 
     resolve other human rights cases, and improve the citizens' 
     sense of personal security, the Government of Guatemala 
     should continue its efforts to establish effective civilian 
     law enforcement and judicial institutions;
       (3) the Government and people of Guatemala should make a 
     renewed commitment to successfully implement the peace 
     accords, especially those accords concerning human rights; 
     and
       (4) the United States Government should provide all 
     necessary support to the investigation of the murder of 
     Bishop Gerardi and to continue to support the full 
     implementation of the peace accords.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. 
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)


                             General Leave

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H. Res. 421.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 421. I agreed to 
cosponsor this resolution, having been shocked by the news of the 
senseless murder of his eminence, Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi.
  A great deal of progress has been made in Guatemala since the signing 
of the Peace Accords. It is a terrible tragedy for Guatemala to suffer 
the loss of one of its most steadfast champions of human rights. This 
brutal act occurred just as the process of examining the painful legacy 
of past abuses by security forces and guerillas was beginning in 
earnest.
  Just days before he was murdered, Bishop Gerardi issued the Catholic 
Church's report on human rights abuses during Guatemala's 3 decade-long 
guerrilla conflict.
  This past Sunday, The Washington Post ran a prominent story on Bishop 
Gerardi and on the critically important church report he oversaw, 
entitled, ``Guatemala: Never Again.'' The Post article chronicles 
Bishop Gerardi's extraordinary leadership in defending the church and 
the indigenous peoples of Guatemala who were, to quote the Post story, 
``Caught in the middle, recruited by both sides, and frequently the 
victims of harsh, irregular warfare.''
  Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution and especially its call on the 
government of Guatemala, including the national police and the 
military, to take all steps necessary to resolve the killing of Bishop 
Gerardi.
  This is an historic opportunity for President Alvaro Arzu to lead his 
people in breaking with impunity. Reformist elements in the Guatemalan 
Army who are working to create a professional military, as well as 
their former guerrilla adversaries in the National Guatemalan 
Revolutionary Union, the URNG, should seize this opportunity to 
demonstrate their commitment to resolving this crime.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to fully support this 
measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I include at this time for the Record the article from 
the Washington Post which I referred to earlier in my comments.

               [From the Washington Post, Sept. 6, 1998]

 A Look at . . . a Murder in Guatemala: The Mysterious Death of Bishop 
                                Gerardi

                            (By Terri Shaw)

       Guatemala City.--On April 24, Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi 
     stood in front of the altar of the capital's Spanish colonial 
     style Metropolitan Cathedral to present to his nation the 
     results of a report detailing three decades of horrific civil 
     strife in Guatemala, with information about more than 400 
     massacres, thousands of murders, rapes and cases of torture. 
     It concluded that 79 percent of the abuses were committed by 
     government forces and 9 percent by the leftist guerrillas 
     opposing them. Entitled ``Guatemala: Never Again,'' the 
     report was based on thousands of interviews conducted with 
     survivors, witnesses and even perpetrators of the abuses.
       Gerardi's message accompanying the report was hardly 
     comforting to a nation where many prefer to forget the ordeal 
     of the conflict that ended only two years ago. ``Facing our 
     personal and collective reality is not an option that can be 
     accepted or rejected,'' he declared, knowing that the report 
     would not be well received by supporters of the military, or 
     by the many Guatemalans who have remained aloof from the 
     conflict. ``It is a requirement for every human being, for 
     every society that hopes to become human and be free.''
       Two days later, the bishop was dead. His body was found in 
     the garage of his parish house, his head bashed in with a 
     heavy object. He was 75 years old.
       Four months later, the country is still absorbed by 
     Gerardi's death and the details of the murder investigation, 
     which to date has yielded no clear culprit. Opinion is 
     divided over whether the murder was an assassination or a 
     common crime. Competing theories say that Gerardi was killed 
     by members of the armed forces--the initial suspicion of 
     many--or by a priest who lived with him and who has been 
     detained for questioning but not formally charged. While the 
     media here follow the case closely and Guatemalans discuss it 
     avidly, the content of the church's report has largely been 
     overshadowed.
       One morning last month, a steady trickle of buyers picked 
     up copies of the four-volume report, priced at $40, at the 
     headquarters of the Office of Human Rights of the Archdiocese 
     of Guatemala next door to the cathedral. But while every 
     Guatemalan I encountered during a recent visit had something 
     to say about the investigation of the murder, only one--a 
     retired banker--said he had actually read the report.
       Perhaps no one would have been more disappointed than 
     Gerardi himself. Persuading Guatemalans to face the painful 
     truths about the war was his personal mission. Born in 
     Guatemala City to a couple of Italian descent, Gerardi became 
     a traditional churchman who did not speak out on political 
     issues until the late 1970s when violence between leftist 
     guerrillas and government forces intensified in the 
     mountainous province of El Quiche where he worked. Most 
     residents of the spectacularly beautiful region are Indians 
     who live on tiny subsistence farms and still practice their 
     traditional cultures.
       As various leftist rebel groups battled Guatemala's 
     military-dominated governments, these Indians were caught in 
     the middle--recruited by both sides and frequently the 
     victims of harsh irregular warfare.
       Gerardi began to take a more open political stand when the 
     army and paramilitary groups allied with it targeted church 
     workers, accusing them of supporting the guerrillas. In 1976, 
     the Rev. William Woods, an American Maryknoll missionary who 
     was working with a peasant cooperative, was killed. A church 
     biography of Gerardi called this the ``beginning of 
     systematic persecution against the church in El Quiche.'' In 
     the early '80s, according to Tom Quigley, a policy adviser to 
     the U.S. Catholic Conference, ``Quichie was the Wild West,'' 
     and scores of priests and lay leaders were killed.

[[Page H7455]]

       Gerardi tried to persuade military and government officials 
     to moderate the army's brutal methods, but he was 
     unsuccessful. In 1980, he took the unusual step of 
     withdrawing all Catholic religious workers from the province 
     after he himself was shot at.
       Gerardi went to Rome for a conference and told Pope John 
     Paul II about the attacks on Indian communities and the 
     church. The pope issued a letter shortly thereafter 
     condemning the violence and Gerardi flew back to Guatemala 
     City, but was turned away at the airport. He went into exile 
     in Costa Rica.
       ``It is not convenient for me to go back now,'' he told 
     June Erlick, a reporter for National Catholic Reporter, at 
     the archdiocese in the Costa Rica capital, San Jose, where he 
     was living. ``In two days, in four days, in two weeks, I 
     would be dead. And if I weren't, someone close to me would 
     be.''
       Two years in exile did not radicalize Gerardi, however. He 
     spurned invitations to join groups backing the guerrillas and 
     refused to support about a dozen priests living in Nicaragua 
     who formed what they called a ``Guatemala church in exile.'' 
     In 1982, when it was safer to work in Guatemala, he returned. 
     In 1984 he was named auxiliary bishop, and in 1988 he joined 
     a National Reconciliation Commission that encouraged meetings 
     involving representatives of the guerrillas, the government 
     and other groups, laying the groundwork for the peace accords 
     that finally brought an end to the 36-year war in 1996.
       In 1990, he formed the Human Rights Office of the 
     archdiocese and in 1995 began the historic memory project. 
     This effort, which was financed in part by European 
     foundations, involved training 600 lay people who lived where 
     the fighting took place to conduct interviews with witnesses, 
     survivors and, in some cases, perpetrators of abuses. About 
     two-thirds of the interviews were conducted in the 
     languages spoken by the Indians who make up a majority of 
     the Guatemalan population and who are a disproportionate 
     number of the victims of abuses chronicled in the report.
       The project--generally called REHMI, its Spanish acronym--
     was conceived in part as a supplement to the work of a 
     Historic Clarification Commission formed by the peace 
     accords. The commission's mandate was to investigate human 
     rights abuses committed during the conflict, but not to name 
     those responsible. The church's report, on the other hand, 
     does name names and does assign responsibility to the leaders 
     of the guerrilla organizations and of the army and 
     paramilitary groups allied with it.
       The REHMI report also demanded that both the army and the 
     guerrillas publicly acknowledge responsibility for abuses and 
     apologize. So far representatives of both groups have 
     admitted only to ``errors.''
       Gerardi's mission remains to be completed. Edgar Gutierrez, 
     who directed the REHMI project, points out that the 
     negotiations that ended the war were conducted by the leaders 
     of the government and the guerrillas, not the people 
     themselves. ``The population, in general, remained divided,'' 
     he said. ``Since there is no reconciliation within the 
     population affected by the armed conflict, the church now 
     will work to bring about the reconstitution of the social 
     fabric.''
       The REHMI report ends with recommendations of ways to help 
     Guatemalans come to terms with their past and live together 
     peacefully. These include concrete measures that could be 
     taken by the government, such as financial restitution and 
     humanitarian aid for survivors, attention to human rights 
     cases in the courts and investigation of the cases of people 
     who disappeared. The report also asks the guerrillas to 
     ``clarify the deaths and disappearances it was responsible 
     for'' and ``recognize the murders of civilian 
     noncombatants.'' And it recommends symbolic measures such as 
     commemorative ceremonies and monuments to the victims.
       It is a daunting agenda for a traumatized country of 11.6 
     million where it is easier to forget than forgive--but one 
     that Gerardi did not flinch from promoting. He closed his 
     last speech in the cathedral with a biblical quote that he 
     said was brought to mind by the ``memory of these painful 
     facts'':
       And the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And 
     he said, I know not; Am I my brother's keeper?
       And He said, What hast thou done? The voice of they 
     brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Gilman), the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, for 
his leadership and management of this bill before the body.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation was introduced and authored by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady), and it has the bipartisan support of 
all of the members of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere as 
cosponsors.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution calls for the government of Guatemala to 
denounce the murder of Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi and to commit to take 
all necessary steps to resolve the murder. Bishop Gerardi, an auxiliary 
bishop of Guatemala City, was the author of the Guatemalan Church's 
narrative on the Civil War, released 2 days before he was murdered 
outside his home in Guatemala City. It was by far the highest profile 
murder in Guatemala since the signing of the Peace Accords in December 
1996.
  Mr. Speaker, ``tragic'' and ``senseless'' are appropriate words to 
define the murder of Bishop Gerardi. There are very few people who 
worked as hard as he did to bring to Guatemala a new sense of respect 
for human rights. It is now 5 months since this brutal incident took 
place, but it is timely that we focus our attention on this murder 
today.
  The investigation of the murder is bogged down and we have heard very 
little public expressions of frustration from the people in Guatemala 
in following the investigation. We are right to express our ongoing 
interest in this case, and our commitment to seeing a successful 
investigation and prosecution. The United States has already provided 
substantial assistance to Guatemala and has pledged further support for 
the implementation of Guatemala's Peace Accords.

                              {time}  1400

  I believe that we pledged $260 million in assistance over 4 years 
now, and that support is contingent on all parties remaining committed 
to the letter and spirit of the accords. Guatemala's response to Bishop 
Gerardi's killing is an indicator of the willingness to implement those 
accords.
  I believe, Mr. Speaker, that we can expect much more progress, and 
that we ought to continue to follow this case closely as an indicator 
of the government's commitment to human rights and its commitment to 
the spirit of the peace accords.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution deserves our support, and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in voting yes on this important resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady), who is the original sponsor of this 
measure.
  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 421 is a bipartisan 
effort introduced with the strong support and leadership of the 
chairman, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ben Gilman), and the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Elton Gallegly).
  It expresss the sense of the House of Representatives deploring the 
tragic and senseless murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi, to call on the 
government of Guatemala to expeditiously bring those responsible for 
the crime to justice, and to call on the people of Guatemala to 
reaffirm their commitment to continue to implement the peace accords 
without interruption to bring attention.
  In some ways it is appropriate that we are considering this 
resolution today. It was on this day in 1776 that our Second 
Continental Congress authorized the use of the name ``the United 
States'' for our young Nation. Historians tell us no other subject more 
appropriately demonstrates one of the important steps taken by our 
Founding Fathers in our Nation's move towards independence and freedom.
  Just as we have achieved that goal, Bishop Gerardi's report, which 
was a monumental, historic report entitled ``Guatemala: Never Again,'' 
was and is an important step in Guatemalans' efforts at achieving their 
peace and their freedom.
  As we may recall, late in the evening on Sunday, April 26 of this 
year, Bishop Gerardi was brutally bludgeoned to death in his garage as 
he returned from his usual Sunday night dinner with his sister and her 
family.
  Specifically, the skull of Bishop Gerardi was crushed by a wedge of 
concrete. The autopsy revealed that the Bishop had been bashed in the 
head repeatedly, and in the face, at least 17 times. Mr. Speaker, the 
Bishop's face was bashed so badly that another priest living in the 
church's compound could only recognize his body by a ring on one of the 
fingers.
  This attack occurred just 2 days after Bishop Gerardi, one of 
Guatemala's, and indeed, our world's, foremost

[[Page H7456]]

human rights activists, released a report providing the most extensive 
account of human rights atrocities committed during the 36-year civil 
war that plagued the country until the peace accords were signed in 
December of 1996.
  One aspect of that agreement called for the conflict to be 
investigated to determine the truth for historical purposes. This 
effort was led by the Bishop. This report indicated that while both the 
Guatemalan military and the guerillas committed war crimes, the 
military was responsible for most of the deaths, almost 80 percent of 
the 150,000 unarmed civilians killed during the civil war, and for the 
disappearance of at least 50,000 more. Additionally, the document also 
detailed how at least 1.5 million people were victimized, to varying 
degrees.
  Almost immediately after word of this attack became public, 
Guatemalan President Arzu formed a commission to investigate the 
Bishop's death. At the same time, our FBI sent several people to 
Guatemala to assist the government with their investigation. Since 
those agents' return, the FBI has sent other agents to the country to 
assist in the investigation as needed.
  Because the investigation is still ongoing, we would do more harm 
than good by commenting on any of the various paths the investigation 
has taken so far. Rather, what we must do is to continue to provide the 
Guatemalan government and the people the necessary support to help 
solve this murder, to bring to justice those responsible for committing 
it, and to continue implementation of the peace accords.
  The question in this resolution for human rights activists throughout 
the world that must be answered is not who murdered Bishop Gerardi, but 
rather, who ordered Bishop Gerardi murdered.
  In one of his last public speeches, he closed with a biblical quote 
brought to mind by the memory of the painful facts of his report. He 
said, ``And the Lord said to Cain, where is Abel, thy brother? And he 
said, I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, what hast thou 
done? The voice of thy brother's blood cryeth unto me from the 
ground.''
  Mr. Speaker, the voice of Bishop Gerardi's blood cries to the people 
of Guatemala and to the world from the ground to determine and to call 
for justice to be brought. We must not and should not let this murder 
destroy the peace so many people have worked so hard to bring about.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, our colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Gallegly), the distinguished chairman of our Subcommittee on the 
Western Hemisphere, is unfortunately detained today, but I will be 
submitting a statement on his behalf under leave previously obtained.
  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, in December, 1996, the Government of 
Guatemala and representatives of the UNRG signed a historic peace 
agreement ending some 36 years of armed confrontation.
  Since that historic day, peace and the implementation of the peace 
accords, especially with respect to political stability, national 
reconciliation, the observance of human rights and freedom of 
expression, have made significant gains in Guatemala. In fact, in 
recognition of the progress being made on human rights, the United 
Nations Human Rights Commission recently removed Guatemala from its 
list of countries under observation for abuses.
  Unfortunately, the progress toward reconciliation in Guatemala was 
rudely shattered on April 26 when Roman Catholic Bishop Juan Gerardi, a 
leading human rights crusader and author of a recently released report 
detailing the human rights abuses committed during the years of 
conflict, was brutally and senselessly murdered outside his residence 
in Guatemala City.
  The murder shocked the people of Guatemala and called into question 
national attitudes about human rights on the part of some in that 
country.
  House Resolution 421, introduced by our Colleague, Kevin Brady of 
Texas, expresses our outrage over this murder and calls on the 
Government of Guatemala to do everything in its power to resolve this 
crime and bring those responsible to swift justice.
  To that end, I want to commend President Arzu for acting quickly to 
establish a high level Commission to help in the investigation, and the 
efforts made to date to resolve the murder. However, progress has been 
slow and the effort continues to need the strong support and 
cooperation of the police and military.
  Equally important, however, is that this bill calls on the government 
and people of Guatemala not to give up on the peace and reconciliation 
process and to make a renewed commitment to carry out the provisions of 
the peace accords despite this tragic and unfortunate set back.
  On May 13, the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee marked up this 
resolution and unanimously adopted it.
  I urge passage of this resolution.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House 
Resolution 421, deploring the murder of Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi, and I 
thank the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Brady, for having introduced this 
resolution.
  I join with all of the people of Guatemala in mourning and deploring 
the brutal murder of Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi, the head of the Catholic 
Church's human rights office. Many of us who have followed developments 
in Guatemala since the signing of the historic peace agreement in 1996 
are deeply concerned about the negative impact which the slaying of 
Bishop Gerardi will have on the process of peace and reconciliation in 
Guatemala.
  This would be especially unfortunate because the Guatemalan 
government has shown great determination to implement the broad-ranging 
commitments laid out in the peace accords since the signing of the 
accords. There have been many positive evaluations from the U.N. 
Mission in Guatemala and other international and Guatemalan 
organizations of the political will that the Arzu government has 
demonstrated and of important advances in the peace process.
  The murder of Bishop Gerardi took place less than two days after he 
had presented the Catholic Church's landmark report, ``Never Again,'' 
on the human rights violations committed during the civil war. The 
report documented the killings, disappearances, and massacres of the 
more than 30-year war, assigning blame for more than 80 percent of them 
on the security forces. Given Guatemalan history and the timing of the 
murder, there is widespread presumption in Guatemala of official 
involvement in the murder. This belief, and shortcomings in the 
investigation of the crime, has cast a pall over the peace process and 
chilled the climate of respect for human rights.
  It is a measure of great progress in democratic government and 
respect for human rights that few believe that the murder of the Bishop 
was carried out by institutions of the State. Nonetheless, there is 
concern that the government has not sufficiently investigated the role 
which former and current military officials may have had in the crime; 
two suspects, a retired military officer and a current officer, were 
named several weeks ago by Church sources as having been involved, but 
they have still not been questioned. In addition, petitions to exhume 
the body of Bishop Gerardi to evaluate conflicting autopsy reports have 
not been acted on by the courts, even though every passing day makes it 
more likely that an autopsy would not clarify outstanding questions. 
The crime scene was not properly secured to assure the reliability of 
forensic evidence collected.
  It is critical to the success of the peace process, and to the faith 
of the Guatemala people in the institutions of democratic government, 
that this case be fully investigated and that all clues be followed, 
regardless of where the evidence leads. The investigation must be 
complete, credible, and transparent, and the Guatemalan people must 
have faith that it will be carried out in such a manner.
  In addition, there can be no better way for the government and the 
people of Guatemala to honor the life and work of Bishop Gerardi than 
to maintain a clear and strong commitment to fully implement the peace 
accords.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 
421, and I commend the Gentleman from Texas, Congressman Brady, as well 
as the cosponsors of this important resolution for their work on this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, before us today is legislation which highlights one of 
the most tragic losses in the fight for human rights world-wide. The 
violent death of Guatemala's outstanding spiritual leader and human 
rights defender, Monsignor Juan Jose Gerardi, the Bishop who served as 
General Director of the Guatemalan Archbishop's Human Rights Office, is 
not only a tragic loss for Guatemala, but also for the process of 
reconciliation in civil-worn torn Guatemala and its search for truth.
  I previously had an opportunity to express to Bishop Gerardi's 
coworkers and the Guatemalan people the condolences of the U.S. 
Congress and the American people for the tragic loss of Bishop Gerardi, 
and would like to take this opportunity to do so again.
  Mr. Speaker, Bishop Gerardi was murdered on April 26th, 1998--only 
two days after he publicly presented the report ``Guatemala:

[[Page H7457]]

Never Again.'' This report represents an outstanding and extremely 
difficult effort to establish the death toll of 36 years of civil war, 
which is estimated to be at least 150,000, in addition to some 50,000 
estimated disappearances. This crucial report--which clearly placed the 
blame for the majority of human rights abuses during the civil war upon 
the Guatemalan army--was prepared by the inter-diocesan project, 
Recovery of Historical Memory (REMHI), which the Bishop coordinated. 
Needless to say, there is complete documentation for only a small 
number of cases, and the efforts by the Archbishop's Human Rights 
Office will continue. Let us never forget that these staggering 
estimates reflect the suffering and pains of hundreds of thousands of 
individuals, families, and loved ones, which no statistics can ever do 
justice.
  Mr. Speaker, I also would like to take this opportunity to thank my 
good friends and distinguished colleagues, Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi 
of California and Connie Morella of Maryland, as well as Congressman 
George Miller of California for leading a recent delegation in 
conjunction with the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human 
Rights, which went to Guatemala to examine the impact of the murder of 
Bishop Gerardi on the future of the peace process and to check the 
status of the investigation launched by the Guatemalan authorities. Our 
resolution today clearly shows to all parties involved how seriously we 
in the United States Congress and in the U.S. government take these 
brutal efforts to silence this human rights activist. The guilty 
parties must be brought to justice.
  While the world mourns the tragic loss of Bishop Gerardi, the efforts 
to implement the peace process must continue. Only by establishing the 
basic democratic principle of accountability will the Peace Accords be 
successful. Otherwise, the removal of Guatemala from the U.N. Human 
Rights Commission list of Countries under observation for human rights 
abuses could prove to be premature.
  In order to assist the people in Guatemala to achieve the goals 
expressed in the peace accords, I have introduced H.R. 2635, the Human 
Rights Information Act, which provides Truth Commissions, such as the 
one in Guatemala, with the necessary information to document and 
prosecute human rights abuses which occurred in their country. The bi-
partisan Human Rights Information Act is currently cosponsored by 92 of 
our distinguished colleagues in the House. I commend the outstanding 
human rights leadership of my friend and colleague, Congressman Steven 
Horn, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Management, 
Information and Technology, for holding a hearing on this bill. I hope 
it will be possible to mark up this bill as soon as possible, before we 
run out of time in this Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gillmor). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 421.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof), the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________