[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 111 (Tuesday, September 19, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H7753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RWANDAN WAR CRIMES WITNESS REWARD PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 2460) to authorize the payment of rewards to 
individuals furnishing information relating to persons subject to 
indictment for serious violations of international humanitarian law in 
Rwanda, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 2460

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. EXPANSION OF REWARDS PROGRAM TO INCLUDE RWANDA.

       Section 102 of the Act of October 30, 1998 (Public Law 105-
     323) is amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by inserting ``or rwanda'' 
     after ``yugoslavia'';
       (2) in subsection (a)(2), by inserting ``OR THE 
     INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA'' after 
     ``YUGOSLAVIA''; and
       (3) in subsection (c)--
       (A) by inserting ``(1)'' immediately after ``Reference.--
     ''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) For the purposes of subsection (a), the statute of 
     the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda means the 
     statute contained in the annex to Security Council Resolution 
     955 of November 8, 1994.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Hilliard) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).


                             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 S. 2460.
  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. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, on April 6, 1994, a massive genocide began 
in Rwanda. There was no mention of Rwanda in any of our papers on that 
day, but soon horrific accounts of a bloody and well-planned massacre 
filled the pages of our newspapers. A month later, 200,000 were dead 
and more were being killed each and every day, but White House 
spokesmen still quibbled with reporters about the definition of 
genocide.
  Too many of the masterminds of that ugly chapter in human history are 
still at large. An international criminal tribunal for Rwanda exists, 
but it has failed to bring to justice all of the leaders. Rwanda needs 
reconciliation, but without accountability there will be no 
reconciliation.
  Congress extended the rewards program to those providing information 
leading to the indictment of Yugoslavian war criminals 2 years ago. It 
is now time to place a generous bounty in U.S. dollars on the heads of 
all who seek power through extermination. The killers have fled to 
Paris, to Brussels, to Kinshasa and else where. With the passage of 
this measure, their havens will be less safe and their sleep will be 
less easy.
  Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to fully support this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker I rise in strong support of this bill. First of all, let 
me commend the chairman in moving this bill through the Committee on 
International Relations and bringing it to the floor today. Rwanda is 
one of the great humanitarian disasters of this century. An estimated 
800,000 people were slaughtered there earlier this decade, and only 
because of their ethnic identity. Expanding the State Department's 
reward program to persons having information leading to the conviction 
of persons responsible for the atrocities in Rwanda will enhance the 
prospect for justice for the victims.
  I commend Senator Feingold for moving this bill forward in the other 
body, and I urge my colleagues to support Senate bill 2460.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen).
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Alabama (Mr. 
Hilliard) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the chairman and my colleague for 
rising to introduce this bill, S. 2460, which would authorize the 
payments of rewards to individuals furnishing information relating to 
persons subject to indictment for serious violations of international 
humanitarian law in Rwanda. I commend them both for presenting that 
bill today.
  Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 2460.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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