[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16552-16553]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ATTORNEYS GENERAL IN CENTRAL AMERICA

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the Northern Triangle countries of Central 
America--El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala--face many similar 
challenges: poverty, gangs, violence, corruption, and organized crime. 
Another one of these challenges is weak judicial systems.
  For as long as anyone can remember, judges in these countries, no 
matter how unqualified, have been selected through opaque processes 
which have benefited those with personal or political connections or 
the ability to curry favor. Attorneys general have often turned out to 
be corrupt and in cahoots with organized crime, or they have been 
harassed and threatened to the point that they have declined to pursue 
cases against powerful elites or have left the country out of fear for 
their own safety or that of their families.
  But there are some signs that things are changing for the better. 
Today, each of these countries has an attorney general who is working 
to end the history of impunity that has enabled almost anyone, 
including members of the police and armed forces, to get away with the 
most heinous crimes.
  In Guatemala, Attorney General Thelma Aldana Hernandez; in El 
Salvador, Attorney General Douglas Melendez Ruiz; and in Honduras, 
Attorney General Oscar Fernando Chinchilla Banegas have each shown that 
they take seriously their responsibility to act with professionalism 
and impartiality in pursuit of justice. For doing so, they have each 
faced attempts to thwart their efforts through intimidation and 
threats.
  In the U.S. Congress we recognize the challenges and dangers they 
face, and we strongly support them. No democracy can survive without a 
justice system that has the confidence and respect of the people. There 
is nothing more fundamental to a credible justice system than an 
independent judiciary and professionally trained prosecutors who are 
trustworthy. Equal access to justice is a necessity for all people, 
regardless of economic status, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or 
political affiliation.
  It is in the interest of each of these attorneys general to share 
best practices; to collectively reinforce the importance of investing 
in stronger judicial institutions; to develop a joint strategy for 
using their offices to help promote economic and social development and 
the rule of law; and to establish a regional mechanism for collecting 
and sharing information to support crime prevention, investigations, 
and prosecutions.
  It is also critically important that they continue to work 
cooperatively with regional independent judicial institutions, like the 
International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, the Mission to 
Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras, the 
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the UN High Commissioner 
for Human Rights.

[[Page 16553]]

  Before I was a Senator, I was a prosecutor. I know the challenges of 
the job and that there is nothing more important for a prosecutor than 
having the respect, the trust, and the support of the people.
  As a Senator, I have long served as either the chairman or ranking 
member of our Judiciary Committee. I have strongly defended the 
principle of independence of the judiciary as a cornerstone of a 
democratic system of government. Judges should be selected 
transparently on the basis of professional qualifications, temperament, 
and integrity.
  And as the chairman or ranking member of the Appropriations 
subcommittee that funds our foreign assistance programs I will continue 
to support attorneys general who, like the three I have mentioned, have 
courageously demonstrated a commitment to upholding the rule of law.

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