Howard Berman: “it's an honor to be part of the debate on a bill being managed by the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who perhaps…”

“it's an honor to be part of the debate on a bill being managed by the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who perhaps is one of the first Members of Congress to speak out and lead the effort against the old apartheid regime, going way back into the late sixties and early 1970s, and who, along with Congressman Ron Dellums and many others, led the effort in 1986, I believe it was, to override the veto and provide the first really tough sanctions against investment that helped play a part in the ultimate downfall of that apartheid regime. Mr. Speaker, this bill is a long overdue one, and it's the direct result of a stunning and, frankly, embarrassing story for the United States. The United States, throughout the 1970s and 1980s, had a much too cozy relationship with the apartheid Government of South Africa which had labeled the ANC as a terrorist organization. The apartheid government banned membership and political activity in the ANC and forced its leaders underground or into exile. A direct result of that ban was that under U.S. law individuals convicted of crimes, including the Nobel Laureate and former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, were deemed inadmissible for entry to the United States, along with individuals labeled as terrorists by the former South African government. Much has changed for South Africa since those dark times.…”