NEWS RELEASE Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Date: Nov. 6, 1997

EMBASSY VIGIL FOR FATHER CARNEY

BISHOP, PRIEST, RELATIVES, AND FRIENDS ENTER 9th DAY OF FAST

EMBASSY VIGIL CONTINUES, AWAITING SERIOUS RESPONSE FROM CLINTON ADMINISTRATION

VIGILERS PRESENT CASE TO INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

MORE JOIN THE FAST AND VIGIL

For more information, contact COFADEH (379800) or EPICA inWashington, DC, at: (202) 332-0292. Come to the entrance of theU.S. embassy in Tegucigalpa between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

*********************************

At 10 a.m. Brother Camillus Dufresne, Mr. Matthew Eisen, Father Joseph Mulligan, S.J., Sister Rita Owczarek, MM, and Helder Weil presented documents concerning the case to the Tegucigalpa office of the Organization of American State (OAS), asking that the documents be forwarded to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica (letter follows). The OAS office received the material and assured the five that it would be forwarded.

Brother Camillus, Sister Rita, and Helder arrived in Tegucigalpa on Tuesday to join in the vigil.

Besides those who have travelled so far to Honduras, four wonderful people have also pledged to fast from their homes in Ohio, Texas, Michigan and Nicaragua: they are Margarita Navarro, Peter Dougherty, Bob Schmidt, and Irene Hodgson.

The fasters are grateful for all those who are joining onto the vigil and fast, and all those who are calling and emailing Congress and the White House to make the demands for full declassification of the U.S. docuemnts heard. Keep it up!

*******************************************************************

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Nov. 6, 1997

Director

Inter-American Commission for Human Rights

San José, Costa Rica

Dear Director:

Through the OAS headquarters in Honduras, we wish to present to you some documents concerning the case of Father James (Guadalupe) Carney, who disappeared here in 1983.

We would be very grateful if you would consider this material and determine whether your commission might be able to help to discover the truth in this case and to achieve justice.

We have been engaged in a vigil at the U.S. embassy here, and today some of us are entering our eighth day of a fast, along with Sister Jean Brenner (Father Carney's cousin), John Patrick Carney (his brother), and Bishop Thomas Gumbleton (auxiliary bishop of Detroit).

Enclosed is a copy of our letter to President Bill Clinton, our demands to the U.S. government, and some sample pages of the documents which the U.S. government has presented thus far to the Honduran government, in response to the latter's official request for assistance.

While continuing with full vigor our efforts to encourage the U.S. government to fulfill its responsibilities in this case and other cases of disappeared persons, we appeal to you for assistance, in view of the fact that the U.S. government thus far has not responded seriously to the requests of the Honduran government, the family of Father Carney, and the Church.

Thank you for your kind consideration.

Sincerely,

Brother Camillus Dufresne

Matthew Eisen

Father Joseph Mulligan, S.J.

Apdo. 2419

Managua, Nicaragua

Sister Rita Owczarek, MM

Helder Weil

******************************************

STATEMENT ABOUT THE FAST:

On Oct. 29 Sister Jean Brenner (now in Nicaragua), John Patrick Carney (now in Minneapolis), Matthew Eisen, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton (now in Detroit), and Father Joseph E. Mulligan, S.J., entered into a liquids-only fast in the hope that the Clinton administration will give a serious response to their demands concerning the case of Father James (Guadalupe) Carney, who "disappeared" in Honduras in 1983.

The group stated: "We are fasting:

a) IN REPENTANCE for U.S. complicity in the crimes against human rights which were committed in Honduras in the 1980s but which remain open wounds in the 1990s;

b) IN SOLIDARITY with the hungry and the poor, in the U.S. and elsewhere, whose right to a decent life is violated by the socially insensitive and irresponsible economic philosophy currently being promoted by the U.S. and other governments;

c) IN HOPE that the Clinton administration will recognize its responsibility for uncovering the truth about Father Carney's disappearance and will do everything possible to achieve justice in this case and others. We expect the U.S. government to respond seriously to us concerning our demands.

"Please consider joining us in this fast, individually or as groups. Please let us know of your solidarity. And please continue to write letters to the editor and letters to U.S. government officials in support of our demands."

***********************************

END