Extensions of Remarks Hon.Robertj.Lagomarsino

15726 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS June 14, 1983 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS AMBASSADOR ZELAYA'S LETTER munists are being encouraged to participate gram. The Army is emphasizing the in the political process. "Beans" part of the program as the military When this institutional infrastructure is situation has stabilized. The Guatemalan HON.ROBERTJ.LAGOMARSINO in place, elections of Constituent Assembly Army has provided assistance to 2.2 million OF CALIFORNIA will be called. The Constituent Assembly Guatemalans in refugee camps that were es will draw a new Constitution <the sixth in tablished throughout the areas of conflict. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Guatemalan history), and will call for elec 7. The internal security is, to a certain Tuesday, June 14, 1983 tions of President, Congress, and Municipal extent, in charge of rural peasants who authorities. have formed a civil defense force of over e Mr. LAGOMARSINO. Mr. Speaker, For this democratic process to succeed, we 500,000. The Guatemalan Armed Forces I wish to share with my colleagues a need your understanding and your support. consist of 20,000 people. letter written to me by his Excellency Sincerely, 8. An amnesty has been offered to the Jorge Zelaya, Ambassador of Guate JORGE L. ZELAYA, guerrillas since the beginning of April 1983, mala to the United States. In his Ambassador. and more than 1,000 active combatants and letter, Ambassador Zelaya describes THE PREsENT SITUATION OF GUATEM,U.A collaborators have taken advantage of it. 1. Violence has decreased dramatically, The present tendency clearly indicates a the process his government is follow substantial decrease in the support that the ing to bring his country to a fully compared to the levels that existed prior to March 23, 1982, when the coup d'etat took guerrillas enjoyed. functioning democratic society. place. The death squads have been sup 9. On March 23, 1983, the state of siege The letter follows: pressed. was lifted, and new political and electoral EMBASSY OF GUATEMALA, 2. Although they have declined, there laws were enacted. They have provided the Washington, D.C., June 6, 1983. remain some unfortunate Human Rights institutional framework for a political open Hon. ROBERT J. LAGOMARSINO, abuses. The present Government is serious ing, that will allow the possibility to all po U.S. House of Representatives, ly trying to put an end to those abuses. As a litical tendencies to participate in the demo Washington, D.C. result of this effort, during the last year, cratic process. Even the Communist Party DEAR MR. LAGOMARSINO: I wish to take this 265 policemen have been brought to trial will be allowed to register and participate as opportunity to send you the enclosed docu for crimes such as murder, kidnapping, rape, a legal institution for the first time in thirty ment on the present situation of Guatema and various other abuses. Two soldiers, years. la, which attempts to address some of the members of the Guatemalan Army, have 10. Elections of a Constituent Assembly concerns that you and other Members of been among those executed for serious will take place next year. That Assembly Congress may have regarding my country crimes. will call for general elections. President Rios and my Government's intentions. 3. The Courts of Special Jurisdiction have Montt will not be a presidential candidate, The Government of President Rios-Montt been temporarily established, while the nor will he join or support any candidacy or is promoting a political process of open par Government attempts to strengthen the political party. ticipation. as the only alternative to do system of institutional justice. These Courts 11. The Guatemalan Government has a away with the violence that afflicts Guate are composed of three members, and the historical commitment to promote respect mala. The steps that the Government has Courts of Appeals are composed of five. for Human Rights, on the basis of develop taken to that effect include: Their identity is kept secret to avoid possi ing a stable and pluralistic democratic proc <a> The creation of an independent and ble reprisals or threats that may endanger ess.• autonomous Electoral Tribunal, whose due process of law. The trials are closed members have been chosen by the Supreme trials; the Guatemalan legal system does Court of Justice from a list of candidates not have open trials, and open hearings are FREEZE QUESTIONS provided by a Nomination Committee established only on very specific instances. <Comite de Postulaci6n). This Committee is Eighty percent of the people tried by these composed of the President of the National Courts have been released, and only 29 per HON. JACK FIELDS University, one representative for the Presi sons have been sentenced; 15 of them to OF TEXAS dents of private universities <there are four death, and 14 to minor terms in prison. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES private universities), all the Deans of the The Government has requested the assist Law Schools <there are four Law Schools in ance of the Inter-American Judiciary Com Tuesday, June 14, 1983 Guatemala), and a representative of the mittee of the OAS to make every effort to e Mr. FIELDS. Mr. Speaker, today I Chairmen of the professional associations. conform the procedure of the Courts of Spe am inserting for the RECORD an article The members of the Electoral Tribunal cial Jurisdiction to internationally accepta from the Reader's Digest, condensed are, Messrs. Oscar Barrios Castillo, Arturo ble legal standards. Herbruger Asturias, Manuel Ruano Mejia, 4. The Government has pledged to seek a from the Dartmouth Review. The Gonzalo Memendez de la Riva, and Justo solution to the problem of the refugees that ·author, Greg Fossedal, clearly exam Rufino Morales. are presently living in Mexico. To that ines many questions we should ask of They are all honorable citizens and distin effect, it is willing to accept the cooperation those supporters of a nuclear freeze. guished attorneys, with no connections to of the United Nations High Commissioner Perhaps if freeze supporters could political parties or the government. for Refugees and of the Mexican Govern answer these provocative questions, (b) The system of registration of voters is ment. The Guatemalan Government will they would have a better understand being renewed, and new identity cards will take every necessary step to resettle Guate ing of the real intentions of the Soviet be issued to every Guatemalan citizen. Rec malans who fled the country, back into ords of the previous system have been de their local communities. To date, more than Union. stroyed in many villages in the rural areas 1,000 refugees have returned from Mexico. I commend my colleagues' attention by terrorist attacks. 5. The violence in rural areas had elimi to this important and illustrative arti <c> New regulations for the organization nated local authorities in about 9% of our cle. of political parties have been enacted. They territory. Now, local authorities exist in CFrom the Reader's Digest, May 19831 have eased the conditions for the organiza every rural community. Furthermore, tion of political parties. Whereas before, normal life in the areas of conflict has 15 QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NUCLEAR-FREEzE 50,000 registered citizens were needed in slowly been reestablished. Schools <40% of FRIENDS order to organize a political party, now only which had been destroyed), health centers, <By Greg Fossedal) 4,000 are required. This has been done to electricity, etc., are now functioning normal It was interesting, for a week or two, to stimulate the emergence of new political or ly. contemplate the negotiation of a Joint and ganizations. There will be no limitations re 6. The guerrilla movement has been con verifiable <emphasis on the latter> freeze of garding ideologies, and socialists and com- fronted with the "Beans and Rifles" pro- nuclear-weapons deployment along with our e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member on the floor. June_14, 1983 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 15727 friends in Moscow. You knew the Russians influx of immigrants in. its history. In by no means be construed as a betray would never agree to verification anyway, so 1976, 400,000 immigrants came to the al of the diverse cultures which make you relaxed and indulged the impulse to United States legally, and in 1980, daydream. up our great Nation. Our Nation has But now it's time to politely change the more than 800,000 legal immigrants been immeasurably enriched by the subject. If you find yourself getting bogged came to our country. It is believed cultural diversity of our society and down in the freeze debate, pop one of these that if immigration continues at this thus it is vital that this diverse cultur 15 questions: rate of growth, the population of the al tradition is preserved. I submit, 1. Describe in 100 words or less the Soviet United States by the year 2030 will be however, that a multilanguage society monument to detente that stands in Berlin. over 320 million. I a.m deeply con is not in the best interest of our 2. Name the last three arms-control trea cerned with the economic and social Nation. ties upheld by the Soviet Union. <This is a problems associated with this large Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to trick question.) influx of immigrants into the United 3. Estimate the total number of deaths in the attention of my colleagues an arti Soviet prisons from 1917 to 1923. <Hint: up States, particularly with our ability to cle which appeared in the June 3 edi to five million.> effectively assimilate these newcomers tion of the Los Angeles Times, written 4. Illuminate the vigor of the Soviet elec into U.S.

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