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[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 244 Introduced in House (IH)]

105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 244

 Calling on the Government of Cuba to extradite Joanne Chesimard from 
                       Cuba to the United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 1998

Mr. Franks of New Jersey submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
     which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
 Calling on the Government of Cuba to extradite Joanne Chesimard from 
                       Cuba to the United States.

Whereas on May 2, 1973, Joanne Chesimard and 2 friends were stopped in their 
        vehicle by New Jersey State Troopers James Harper and Werner Foerster on 
        the New Jersey Turnpike;
Whereas while being questioned, Ms. Chesimard and the driver opened fire with 
        automatic pistols striking Trooper Werner Foerster twice in the chest 
        and Trooper James Harper in the left shoulder;
Whereas the suspects then turned Trooper Foerster's own weapon on him firing an 
        additional two bullets into his head execution style;
Whereas this heinous and premeditated act resulted in the tragic death of New 
        Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster;
Whereas Trooper Foerster left behind a wife, Rose Foerster, and family;
Whereas in 1977, after a 6 week trial, a jury found Ms. Chesimard guilty of 
        first-degree murder for the slaying of Trooper Foerster, a respected New 
        Jersey State Trooper;
Whereas as a result of this conviction Ms. Chesimard was sentenced to life in a 
        New Jersey State prison;
Whereas in 1979, Ms. Chesimard broke free from a maximum security cell at the 
        Reformatory for Women in Clinton, New Jersey, with the help of 4 men who 
        took a guard and prison van driver hostage;
Whereas after escaping prison, Ms. Chesimard fled to Cuba for political asylum, 
        a country which has no extradition treaty with the United States;
Whereas there are currently more than 90 other United States fugitives living in 
        Cuba under political asylum;
Whereas these fugitives have been convicted of crimes in the United States and 
        have not paid their debt to society;
Whereas countries should respect each other's justice systems and not provide 
        safe-harbor to felons who murder law enforcement officers;
Whereas people in New Jersey were shocked and outraged to see television 
        interviews showing Ms. Chesimard living freely in Cuba, portraying 
        herself as the victim and denying any crimes against Trooper Foerster;
Whereas the Governor of New Jersey, Christine Whitman, has requested Federal 
        assistance from Attorney General Janet Reno for the return of Ms. 
        Chesimard; and
Whereas Members of Congress have petitioned Secretary of State Madeleine 
        Albright requesting that the Department of State do everything in its 
        power to get Joanne Chesimard returned to the United States to live out 
        the rest of her life behind bars: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Government of Cuba should extradite convicted 
        murderer Joanne Chesimard to the United States in order for her 
        to complete her life sentence for the murder of New Jersey 
        State Trooper Werner Foerster; and
            (2) the United States should not ease any restrictions 
        currently in place with respect to Cuba before Ms. Chesimard is 
        extradited to the United States.
                                 <all>
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