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SPECIAL PINOCHET WATCH UPDATE
(May 19, 2000)
Produced by the Institute for Policy Studies

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. CLINTON & LAGOS TO MEET IN BERLIN: Sign Letter, Contact Your Member of Congress by Friday, May 26 2. TEXT OF LETTER TO CLINTON

1. CLINTON & LAGOS TO MEET IN BERLIN: Sign Letter, Contact Your Member of Congress by Friday, May 26

U.S. President Bill Clinton and Chilean President Ricardo Lagos will meet privately for the first time while attending a conference on the “Third Way” in Berlin. The conference will take place June 3rd and 4th. We believe that it is crucial that President Clinton express his support for the U.S. investigation into the Letelier-Moffitt assassination, the Chilean investigation into the murders of U.S. citizens Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi, and the free functioning of the Chilean courts at this meeting. This is a unique opportunity to ensure that justice and accountability are truly a centerpiece of U.S.-Chile relations.

Below is a letter that will be circulated in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. George Miller (D-CA). We will also be collecting individual and organizational signatures to send to President Clinton, as well. It is critical that as many Representatives as possible add their signature to this letter. We urge you to contact your Member of Congress immediately to ask if they have seen the letter and to invite them to sign on. To add their signature, they should contact Dionne Jimenez (Rep. Miller's office) by e-mail Dionne.Jimenez@mail.house.gov or at (202) 225-2095. We also ask that organizations that have ongoing relationships with congressional offices bring this letter to their attention.

Please call the foreign policy aide in your representative’s office immediately; if you would like their name or contact information or if you have any other questions about the letter, please contact Stacie Jonas at s-jonas@mindspring.com or by phone at (202) 234-9382, ext. 239. If you are unable to call your representative, you can also e-mail or fax a short note to their office. Please include your full name and address.

We also encourage you to sign-on to the citizen/organizational letter that will be sent to Clinton by IPS by sending your name, title, organization, city and state to Stacie Jonas at s-jonas@mindspring.com or by fax at 202-387-7915. THE LAST DAY FOR CONGRESSIONAL OR INDIVIDUAL/ORGANIZATIONAL SIGNATURES IS FRIDAY, MAY 26.

2. TEXT OF LETTER TO CLINTON

Dear Colleague,

Please join us in signing the letter below to President Clinton regarding the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation into the car-bomb assassination of a former Chilean diplomat and 25-year-old American citizen in Washington, D.C. in 1976 and the murder of two U.S. citizens in Chile in 1973.

President Clinton will meet privately for the first time with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos at a June 2-3 conference in Berlin. This letter urges him to take advantage of this unique opportunity to express his full support for the following investigations into murders committed by agents of the Pinochet regime:

1. The U.S. investigation into the assassination of Orlando Letelier and his American colleague Ronni Karpen Moffitt in Washington, D.C. at the hands of the Chilean secret police. The Justice Department recently intensified its investigation into Augusto Pinochet’s role in these murders; in March, the Chilean Supreme Court interrogated 42 witnesses and U.S. investigators traveled to Chile to take testimony and gather evidence.

2. The Chilean investigation into the 1973 abduction and murder of U.S. citizens Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi in Chile by agents of the Pinochet regime. The award-winning film Missing captured international interest in the Horman case in 1982. The State Department recently asked the Chilean government to investigate these murders.

The letter also asks Clinton to express his support for the independence of the Chilean judiciary as they investigate over 100 other cases against former dictator Augusto Pinochet.

The Letelier-Moffitt murders are the worst act of proven state-sponsored terrorism ever committed in our nation’s capital. It is in the United States’ interest to see a proper conclusion to the investigation into this terrorist act. It is also in the United States’ interest to protect the safety of American citizens abroad by demonstrating that atrocities will not go unpunished. We must send a clear message to Clinton that these investigations should be the centerpiece of his meeting with Lagos in June.

Please contact Dionne Jimenez by e-mail or at x5-2095 to sign the letter. Thank you.

Sincerely, GEORGE MILLER, M.C.

Dear President Clinton,

We are writing to express our support and thanks for the encouraging new developments in the Justice Department’s investigation into the murder of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt. As you know, the 1976 car bomb assassination was the worst act of proven state-sponsored terrorism to occur on U.S. soil in recent times, resulting in the death of a 25-year-old American citizen. Although Justice Department and FBI investigators were able to indict several of those responsible for the crime, we believe that the man who gave the order for the murders—Augusto Pinochet—remains at large.

We also appreciate the efforts of the State Department, which has recently made a formal request to the Government of Chile to investigate the deaths of American citizens Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi. Both men were murdered in Chile in 1973 at the hands of Pinochet’s security forces. The Horman family has asked to meet with the Justice Department to request assistance and support for the Chilean investigation of these murders using U.S. Justice Department resources for the Southern Cone.

We believe that your upcoming meeting with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos in Berlin offers a unique opportunity to express your full support for the Letelier-Moffitt investigation and for a Chilean investigation into the Horman and Teruggi murders. We also hope that you will take this opportunity to request the following:

1. Full Cooperation of the Chilean Government If evidence and testimony continue to point to Pinochet in the Letelier-Moffitt investigation, we strongly encourage your administration to pursue his extradition to the U.S. to stand trial. We are thankful for the steps the Justice Department has already taken that could lead to an indictment However, we believe that this investigation needs to be intensified and pursued with the same vigor given to other terrorism cases such as that of Bin Laden.

We believe it is imperative that FBI and Justice Department investigators be permitted to operate freely in Chile for the limited duration of the Letelier-Moffitt investigation. The US government should argue strongly for, and the Chilean government should grant, this reasonable request. The Chileans rightfully note that the US government has not insisted on this point. It is time they do.

2. Support for Independent Medical Exams Pinochet's return to Chile was made possible by a less than adequate medical examination conducted by British authorities. We ask that you convey to President Lagos that the United States strongly supports complete medical examinations, under controlled conditions, by internationally respected and neutral medical personnel as the only acceptable way to judge Pinochet's health should he once again attempt to use his alleged infirmity to escape justice.

3. Support for Independence of Chilean Judiciary Furthermore, we hope that you will convey to President Lagos support for his efforts to allow the Chilean courts to function freely in these cases and in the other Chilean proceedings against Pinochet. As you may know, there are now more than 100 cases filed against Pinochet in Chile. A Santiago Appeals Court will soon make a decision on whether to revoke the former dictator’s parliamentary immunity from prosecution.

Again, thank you so much for helping to send a message to the world that no one is above the law and that, no matter how long it takes, terrorists must be held accountable for their crimes.

Sincerely,

GEORGE MILLER, M.C.

CC: Attorney General Janet Reno

To add your name to the individual/organizational letter, send the following information to Stacie Jonas s-jonas@mindspring.com or by fax at 202-387-7915.

NAME:_________________________________________________________________ TITLE/ORGANIZATION:________________________________________________ CITY/STATE:___________________________________________________________