March 10, 2000

WASHINGTON (AP) - The former chief of the CIA's Latin American Division, who was fired in 1995 for failing to inform Congress about human rights abuses in Guatemala, will be awarded one of the agency's highest honors this month, according to The Washington Post.

Terry R. Ward, 62, will receive the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal on March 23 for "exceptional achievements" during a 30-year covert career, the Post reported today.

Ward was fired for failing to report on CIA ties to a Guatemalan colonel linked to two murders in the early 1990s.

Former colleagues within the CIA's Directorate of Operations recommended Ward's medal, which was then approved by James Pavitt, the CIA's deputy director for operations, according to an unidentified intelligence official cited by the Post.

Former CIA Director John M. Deutch fired Ward.Some human rights activists and other CIA critics are angry over the agency's decision to recognize Ward, the Post reported.