Political Quotes

“today, I am introducing the Human Rights Information Act--legislation designed to facilitate the declassification of certain United States documents that relate to past human rights abuses in Guatemala and Honduras. This act would ensure the prompt declassification of information by all relevant U.S. Government agencies concerning human rights abuses, while providing adequate protection to safeguard U.S. national security interests. Timely declassification of relevant materials would be of enormous assistance to the Guatemalan and Honduran people who are at this moment confronting past human rights violations as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen democratic institutions in those countries, particularly their judiciaries. This bill would ensure prompt and complete declassification within the necessary bounds of protection of national security. It would require Government agencies to review for declassification within 120 days all human rights records relevant to inquiries by the Honduran human rights commissioner and the Guatemalan Clarification Commission. An interagency appeals panel would review agencies decisions to withhold information. The bill follows declassification standards already enacted by Congress in the JFK Assassination Records Act but is much simpler and less expensive than that law.”