NEWS RELEASE Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Date: Nov. 7, 1997

EMBASSY VIGIL FOR FATHER CARNEY

** BISHOP, PRIEST, RELATIVES, AND FRIENDS ENTER 10th DAY OF FAST

** EMBASSY VIGIL CONTINUES, AWAITING SERIOUS RESPONSE FROM

CLINTON ADMINISTRATION

** JESUITS OF HONDURAS EXPRESS SUPPORT, JOIN IN EMBASSY VIGIL

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

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This morning the embassy vigilers participated in the demonstration which COFADEH (Committee of the Relatives of the Disappeared) organizes on the first Friday of each month in front of the National Congress. Four Jesuits, representing the Jesuits working in Honduras, also took part, continuing their constant presence with the vigil.

One Jesuit read a statement of support on behalf of the Jesuits of Honduras, which says in part: "We, the Jesuits of Honduras, want the truth to be revealed and justice to be done in regard to the disappearance of Father James (Guadalupe) Carney and the 183 others who disappeared in the sad decade of the 1980s.

"The U.S. government, especially the CIA and the Department of Defense, have documents which contain the truth. Nevertheless, the pages declassified by these agencies thus far are so blacked out that they do not help to clarify anything.

"Therefore, we identify as our own the demands presented to President Clinton by the fasters who are keeping vigil in front of the U.S. embassy: we demand that the U.S. government examine the original documents (excised copies of which were given to the Honduran Commissioner of Human Rights) and that the U.S. government offer to the Honduran government whatever technical assistance may be necessary to find the remains of Father Carney

and to identify those responsible for his death.

"And since we are also concerned about the fate of the other disappeared persons in general, we also demand the publication of the report of the Inspector General of the CIA concerning the

CIA's own activities in Honduras.

"Similarly, we want to demand of the Honduran government (which participated in and is responsible for these crimes of the past decade) that it now work to break the wall of impunity. Unless it does, it will be responsible for that impunity in the judgement of history."

The Jesuits of Honduras ended their declaration, dated Nov. 6, with a call to the Honduran public in general to share with the Jesuits any information which may be helpful in the pursuit of truth and justice, giving a phone number of a Jesuit office in Progreso.

Every afternoon four Jesuits of Honduras are present at the embassy; on that day they are also fasting in solidarity with the vigil.

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Yesterday two more people arrived from Nicaragua to join in the vigil. And the number of people joining in the fast in the U.S. constantly grows!

We wish to express our profound and joyful gratitude to EPICA in Washington, D.C., and to COFADEH here in Tegugigalpa for their constant technical and moral support. And thanks to all of you who have sent solidarity messages and are expressing that solidarity by fasting and/or by contacting government officials and the mass media.

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EPICA

1470 Irving St., NW

Washington, DC 20010

Tel: 202/332-0292

Fax: 202/332-1184

Email: epica@igc.apc.org

Web: www.igc.apc.org/epica