[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 182 (Monday, November 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6819-S6820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                                HONDURAS

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, today marks the 1-year anniversary of the 
election of Xiomara Castro Sarmiento, the first woman to hold the 
office of President of Honduras. She succeeded Juan Orlando Hernandez 
who had discredited the office of the Presidency by colluding with drug 
traffickers, corrupt business owners, and other criminals; abusing his 
authority by pressuring corrupt legislators and judges to dismantle the 
institutions of democracy; and using the armed forces and police to 
brutally silence his critics. The many crimes committed by his 
government were well documented, yet numerous U.S. officials treated 
him like a legitimate partner even after his stolen reelection in 2017, 
until he was finally arrested and extradited to the United States.
  The election of President Castro gave the people of Honduras a new 
sense of hope that finally that dark period was behind them, that 
rather than seeking to enrich themselves and hold onto power, she and 
her administration would finally tackle the grinding poverty, 
inequality, injustice, impunity, and insecurity that have caused so 
many Hondurans to seek a better, safer life outside the country.
  It has now been 10 months since President Castro was sworn in, and 
her record is mixed. She has taken a number of important steps to 
reverse the improper and illegal practices of her predecessor and to 
put the country on a brighter path. By doing so, she has distinguished 
herself from her counterparts in El Salvador and Guatemala who have 
chosen to continue down the dark path of authoritarianism, corruption, 
and impunity. But while her administration faces every imaginable 
challenge, none is more urgent and necessary than reversing the 
Hernandez administration's assault on the independence of the judiciary 
and the rule of law. Under President Hernandez, the very concept of 
justice was turned on its head. Anyone with money could get away with 
practically anything, including murder, and the government could arrest 
and imprison anyone with impunity. The vast majority of crimes went 
unpunished.
  Recognizing the need to establish public confidence in the courts and 
Office of the Attorney General, one of President Castro's most 
important promises during her campaign was to create a Comision 
International Contra la Impunidad en Honduras--CICIH--to succeed the 
defunct Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity--
MACCIH--which was shut down by President Hernandez. Yet, nearly a year 
after her election, a formal agreement between the United Nations and 
Honduras, or convenio, to establish an independent CICIH, has not been 
signed.
  One of the lessons the people of Central America have learned is that 
the only way to establish the rule of law and end impunity in their 
countries is with the active participation of international 
institutions and experts and the unequivocal commitment of local 
officials. Despite millions of dollars invested by the United States 
and other donor countries, that local commitment was lacking for the 
International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala--CICIG--and the 
MACCIH in Honduras. Each was pointed to by the former leaders of those 
countries as proof of their commitment to the rule of law. Yet each was 
vulnerable to manipulation, and each was shut down by those same 
leaders when it became clear that they themselves could be held 
accountable for their crimes. Their only interest was in appearing to 
support the institutions of justice while all the time ensuring that 
they, their families, and their corrupt accomplices in government and 
the private sector remained above the law.
  Considering how easily CICIG and MACCIH were sabotaged by the 
previous leaders of those countries and how much is at stake for the 
people of Honduras and the country's future development, nothing is 
more important than firmly establishing a culture of respect for the 
rule of law and for those whose job it is to administer it.
  Doing so will take years, but the essential first step in that 
process is for the Castro administration to complete the negotiations 
with the United Nations and sign a convenio for the installation of a 
fully independent CICIH headed by a commissioner with the necessary 
experience, professionalism, and integrity, selected by the United 
Nations.
  An independent commissioner will work with local judicial authorities 
in applying the law to the facts, wherever they lead. Past partial 
solutions only resulted in money wasted, time lost, and justice denied. 
Only after such a convenio is signed, which should occur without 
further delay, will the Honduran people and the international community 
have confidence that President Castro will keep her word and that 
Honduras will finally be on a path toward real justice and 
accountability.

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