106TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 180 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress that the Presiists. dent should not have granted clemency to terrorVerDate Aug 31 2005 11:55 May 08, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\PICKUP\HC180.EH HC180

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106TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 180 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Whereas the Armed Forces of National Liberation (the 

FALN) is a militant terrorist organization that 

claims responsibility for the bombings of approximately 130 civilian, political, and military sites 

throughout the United States; 


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2 

•HCON 180 EH 

Whereas its reign of terror resulted in 6 deaths and the 

permanent maiming of dozens of others, including 

law enforcement officials; 

Whereas 16 members of the FALN were tried for numerous felonies against the United States, including seditious conspiracy; 

Whereas at their trials, none of the 16 defendants contested any of the evidence presented by the United 

States; 

Whereas at their trials, none expressed remorse for their 

actions; 

Whereas all were subsequently convicted and sentenced to 

prison for terms up to 90 years; 

Whereas not a single act of terrorism has been attributed 

to the FALN since the imprisonment of the 16 terrorists; 

Whereas no petitions for clemency were made by these 

terrorists, but other persons, in an irregular procedure, sought such clemency for them; 

Whereas on August 11, 1999, President William Jefferson Clinton offered clemency to these 16 terrorists, 

all of whom have served less than 20 years in prison; 

Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and 2 United States Attorneys all reportedly advised the President not to grant 

leniency to the 16 terrorists; 

Whereas the Federal Bureau of Prisons reportedly based 

its decision in part on the existence of audio recordings indicating that some of the 16 have vowed to resume their violent activities upon release from prison; 


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3 

•HCON 180 EH 

Whereas the State Department in 1998 reiterated two 

longstanding tenets of counterterrorism policy that 

the United States will: ‘‘(1) make no concessions to 

terrorists and strike no deals; and ‘‘(2) bring terrorists to justice for their crimes’’; 

Whereas the President’s offer of clemency to the FALN 

terrorists violates longstanding tenets of United 

States counterterrorism policy; 

Whereas the President’s decision sends an unmistakable 

message to terrorists that the United States does not 

punish terrorists in a severe manner, making terrorism more likely; and 

Whereas the release of terrorists is an affront to the rule 

of law, the victims and their families, and every 

American who believes that violent acts must be punished to the fullest extent of the law: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that making 

3 concessions to terrorists is deplorable and that President 

4 Clinton should not have offered or granted clemency to 

5 the FALN terrorists. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 9, 

1999. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 


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