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Free Leonard Peltier



"Amnesty International considers Leonard Peltier to be a political prisoner
whose avenues of redress have long been exhausted....Amnesty International
recognizes that a retrial is no longer a feasible option and believes that
Leonard Peltier should be immediately and unconditionally released.

---Amnesty International, April 6, 1999



Leonard Peltier Denied Parole - Lawyer's Response

For updated information, visit the web site for the
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
P.O. Box 7488, Fargo, ND 58106
Phone: 701/235-2206

Leonard Peltier #89637-132
USP-Lewisburg - US Penitentiary
PO Box 1000; Lewisburg, PA 17837

For excerpts from Leonard Peltier's book:
PRISON WRITINGS: MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE
see Item 2: Time for Human Rights on Native Ground


Celebrate Freedom with Me - (February 6, 2010 Statement)
By Leonard Peltier

Greetings to everyone,

34 years. It doesn't even sound like a real number to me. Not when one really thinks about being in a jail cell for that long. All these years and I swear, I still think sometimes I'll wake up from this nightmare in my own bed, in my own home, with my family in the next room. I would never have imagined such a thing. Surely the only place people are unjustly imprisoned for 34 years is in far away lands, books or fairy tales.

It's been that long since I woke up when I needed to, worked where I wanted to, loved who I was supposed to love, or did what I was compelled to do. It's been that long-long enough to see my children have grandchildren. Long enough to have many of my friends and loved ones die in the course of a normal life, while I was here unable to know them in their final days.

So often in my daily life, the thought creeps in - I don't deserve this. It lingers like acid in my mouth. But I have to push those types of thoughts away. I made a commitment long ago, many of us did. Some didn't live up to their commitments, and some of us didn't have a choice. Joe Stuntz didn't have a choice. Neither did Buddy Lamont. I never thought my commitment would mean sacrificing like this, but I was willing to do so nonetheless. And really, if necessary, I'd do it all over again, because it was the right thing to do. We didn't go to ceremony and say "I'll fight for the people as long as it doesn't cost too much." We prayed, and we gave. Like I say, some of us didn't have a choice. Our only other option was to run away, and we couldn't even do that. Back then, we had no where left to run to.

I have cried so many tears over these three plus decades. Like the many families directly affected by this whole series of events, my family's tears have not been in short supply. Our tears have joined all the tears from over 500 years of oppression. Together our tears come together and form a giant river of suffering and I hope, cleansing. Injustice is never final, I keep telling myself. I pray this is true for all of us.

To those who know I am innocent, thank you for your faith. And I hope you continue working for my release. That is, to work towards truth and justice. To those who think me guilty, I ask you to believe in and work for the rule of law. Even the law says I should be free by now, regardless of guilt. What has happened to me isn't justice, it isn't the law, it isn't fair, it isn't right. This has been a long battle in an even longer war. But we have to remain vigilant, as we have a righteous cause. After all this time, I can only ask this: Don't give up. Not ever. Stay in this fight with me. Suffer with me. Grieve with me. Endure with me. Believe with me. Outlast with me. And one day, celebrate freedom with me. Hoka hey!

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,

Leonard Peltier

This page was originally posted on February 8, 2002 and Updated!


"Leonard Peltier is a great-grandfather, artist, writer, & indigenous rights activist. He is a citizen of the Anishinabe and Dakota/Lakota Nations who has been unjustly imprisoned since February 6, 1976, thirty-two years ago. He was involved in the American Indian Movement, and went to assist the Oglala Lakota people on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the mid-70s where a tragic shoot-out occurred on June 26, 1975. Accused of the murder of two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Peltier fled to Canada believing he would never receive a fair trial in the United States. On February 6 when he was apprehended, the FBI knowingly presented the Canadian court with fraudulent affidavits, and Peltier was returned to the U.S. for trial. Key witnesses were banned from testifying about FBI misconduct and the conditions and testimony of the atmosphere on the Pine Ridge Reservation at the time of the shoot-out was severely restricted. Important evidence, such as conflicting ballistics reports, was ruled inadmissible. Still, the U.S. Prosecutor failed to produce a single witness who could identify Peltier as the shooter. Instead, the government tied a bullet casing found near the bodies of their agents to the alleged murder weapon, arguing that this gun had been the only one of its kind used during the shootout, and that it had belonged to Peltier. Later, Mr. Peltier’s attorneys uncovered, in the FBI’s own documents, that more than one weapon of the type attributed to Peltier had been present at the scene and the FBI had intentionally concealed a ballistics report that showed the shell casing could not have come from the alleged murder weapon. Other troubling information emerged.."

See these Flyby News Archive issues for background and updated resources:

July 28, 2009 - Updated 8/23
Leonard Peltier's Parole Denied - Updated
- - Eric Seitz ~ Leonard Peltier Attorney ~
Response on Parole Denial - Fri, 21 Aug 2009

June 1, 2009 - Item 3
Parole Letter for Leonard Peltier; time for freedom

January 21, 2009 - Item 1
Leonard Peltier brutalized, life in jeopardy!

February 6, 2008 - Item 2
Why David Geffen Hates Hillary & Bill Clinton * Failure to pardon Leonard Peltier a travesty

December 18, 2007 - Item 2
Leonard Peltier: A POW of America's Energy Wars

September 7, 2007 - Item 3
Kucinich Recently on Leonard Peltier

July 30, 2007 - Item 2
Corrupt FBI - Families Get $101 Million In Wrongful Conviction
- - Three Decades of Injustice [and counting] for Leonard Peltier

May 17, 2007 - Item 3
A Native Perspective on Virginia Tech Headlines

September 1, 2005 - Item 2
Court room eyewitness: Peltier is a political prisoner

August 19, 2005 - Item 3
Note from Leonard Peltier, transferred to Lewisburg, PA

August 5, 2005 - Item 4
Leonard Peltier's Plight

June 10, 2005 - Item 3
Peltier Hearing ~ June 15 ~ Lakota Sovereignty at Stake

September 05, 2004 - Item 4
Leonard Peltier and Yorie Von Kahl sue government for illegal imprisonment

June 23, 2004 - Item 7
Leonard Peltier - eagle soars in the circle for freedom
- - Message from Leonard
- - Leonard Peltier: America's Political Prisoner
- - Oglala and other June 26 Commemoration Events

February 5, 2004 - Item 3
Leonard Peltier Nominated for 2004 Nobel Peace Prize
- - Unfinished business in Indian country (BBC News article)

January 30, 2004 - Item 4
Flyby News to Presidential Candidates

April 27, 2003 - Item 4
Chair of Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Statement of Resignation

December 20, 2002 - Item 4
Court Rules Peltier's Appeal Too Late for Sentence Reduction

December 13, 2002 - Item 4
December Statement of Leonard Peltier

December 2, 2002 - Item 2
Canadian members of Parliament: Free Leonard Peltier!

August 17, 2002 - Item 3
Leonard Peltier: man, soldier and symbol

June 26, 2002 - Item 1
Leonard Peltier: Until Freedom Is Won

February 3, 2002 -- Item 2
February 6 - 26th Anniversary of Leonard Peltier's Arrest
Talking Points to contact Vermont Senator, Patrick D Leahy, Judicial Committee Chairman

April 4, 2002 -- Item 3
Leonard Peltier Files Lawsuit Against FBI Today

May 15, 2002 -- Item 1
Letters Needed to Free Leonard Peltier by Parole

July 19, 2001 - Item 2
Peltier Responds to Threat Made In His Name

June 25, 2001 - Items 1 and 2
Peltier/FBI Review Letter to Patrick Leahy * The Case of Leonard Peltier
"Evidence and Documentation of a Wrongful Conviction"

May 17, 2001 - Items 1 and 2
Demand Investigations of the FBI, including the case of Leonard Peltier * Leonard Peltier's Statement Regarding FBI Abuses

February 7, 2001
Peltier Storm ^ Quarter of a Century Mark

February 5, 2001
Day to Remember Leonard -- 25 Years of Unjust Incarceration -- Protests Planned

January 30, 2001 - Items 1 and 2
International Day of Protest for the Arrest of Leonard Peltier * Statement of Fedelia Cross, of the Oglala Lakota Nation

January 25, 2001
Day of Shame Feedback * 25th year Peltier Imprisonment - from Leonard via Harvey

January 20, 2001
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee's Statement: "DAY OF SHAME"

January 20, 2001
Peltier Denied Freedom (Clemency)

January 1, 2001- Items 1 and 2
Time for Human Rights on Native Ground * Excerpts from Peltier's Prison Writings

December 26, 2000
Peltier Clemency Coverage

December 22, 2000 - Items 1, 2, and 3
Unprecedented FBI Anti-Clemency-Peltier Demonstration Criticized * Wall Street Journal's Erroneous Anti Peltier Editorial * Statements from Religious Leaders on Peltier's Behalf

December 16, 2000
Men in Suits March to White House to Denounce Peltier - Media Obeys! WHAT NOW?

December 14, 2000
FBI to demonstrate against Peltier - RSVP * Peltier's Message to the Slain Agents'

December 5, 2000 - Item 2
Belgian Second Resolution for Peltier

December 2, 2000 - Item 2
Speakers' Schedule for Truth and Reconciliation Walk
Human Rights Day 2000 - Time to Free Leonard Peltier

November 26, 2000
Leonard Peltier and Myrtle Poor Bear's Tortured Testimony

November 19, 2000
Peltier 7-Year Clemency Anniversary <> Truth and Reconciliation Walk

November 13, 2000
Breakthrough News for Leonard Peltier
President Clinton had publicly confirmed that Leonard's clemency petition has reached his office, and that it will be decided one way or the other in the very near future.

July 10, 2000
CNN chat with author/editor Harvey Arden about the movement to free Leonard

June 13, 2000
Peltier's Parole Denied Before Hearing Completed?

December 4, 1999 - Item 4
Candidate Bradley About Peltier

September 12, 1999
Cassini and Peltier: What's the connection?

This above issue also links to this excellent article in the London Guardian --
Chief behind bars

"I have nothing on my conscience at all."
- U.S. Prosecutor Lynn Crooks

Leonard Peltier's book:

Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance
Published by St. Martins Press, NYC 1999

Archbishop Desmond Tutu on April 18, 1999 stated:

"I have been reading in Leonard Peltier's book, and about
an hour ago I spoke with him.... He is a remarkable person and
the depth of his spirituality shows....I would hope that the campaign
to have him freed will succeed. I certainly support it passionately
Because it is a blot on the judicial system of this country that
ought to be corrected as quickly as possible."

Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu also stated that
Leonard Peltier's Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance, is:


"A deeply moving and very disturbing story of a gross miscarriage of justice
and an eloquent cri de coeur of Native Americans for redress and to be regarded
as human beings with inalienable rights guaranteed under the United States Constitution
as any other citizens. We pray that it does not fall on deaf ears. America owes it to herself."


For excerpts from Leonard's book, see Item 2:
Time for Human Rights on Native Ground

PRISON WRITINGS: MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE
Published by St. Martins Press, NYC 1999
Edited by Harvey Arden
http://wisdomkeepers.com/prison.html


This page was originally posted on February 8, 2002 and updated!


The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee requested that supporters of Leonard Peltier contact the House Government Reform Committee, which is holding hearings on FBI misconduct relating to wrongful convictions. The hearings were prompted by the release of two Boston men who were framed by the FBI and held wrongfully in prison for more than 32 years. Their two co-defendants, also innocent, died in prison. Congressman Burton, who chairs the committee, said on 60 Minutes recently that he will be looking into other cases. Let's let him know about Leonard Peltier! Write, and ask your friends, family, and neighbors to write letters.

For Leonard Peltier's June 26, 2003 Statement, see:
Leonard Peltier - Oglala Statement and Strategy

1) Salvati and Peltier - Evidences of FBI Misconduct

Honorable Dan Burton
Chairman, Government Reform Committee
2157 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
Tel. 202-225-2276
Fax 202-225-0016

Dear Congressman Burton,

I have been following the case of James Salvati, and appreciate your interest to consider looking into other cases that may show other evidences of FBI misconduct. Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned for 26 years. His case and the background of his case is riddled with all sorts of documented FBI wrongdoings. On May 17, 2000, Congressman Porter sponsored a two hour congressional briefing on Leonard Peltier and related circumstances on the Pine Ridge reservation. Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Amnesty International, Ernie Stevens Jr. of the National Congress of American Indians, Author Peter Matthiessen, Journalist Kevin McKiernan, shoot-out survivor Nilak Butler, reign of terror survivor Debra White Plume, shoot-out aftermath witness Jean Day, and lawyers Bruce Ellison and Jennifer Harbury testified to a full room of human rights leaders and Congressional staff of numerous human, civil, and constitutional rights violations involved in the Peltier case. The Peltier defense committee, or the editor of FlybyNews.com, could send you a copy of this briefing, recorded onto a one-hour video tape. Please let them know, if interested..

Among the evidences of an unfair trial for Leonard Peltier are documents showing that although the prosecution and government directly pointed the finger at Peltier for shooting the agents at close range during the trial, three years later it was shown that critical ballistic test results were concealed from the defense and the jury, proving that the fatal bullets could not have come from the gun tied to Mr. Peltier. The exposure of the test prompted the U.S. Prosecutor to admit during subsequent oral arguments, "we can't prove who shot those agents". The Eighth Circuit found that "There is a possibility that the jury would have acquitted Leonard Peltier had the records and data improperly withheld from the defense been available to him in order to better exploit and reinforce the inconsistencies casting strong doubts upon the government's case." Yet, a new trial was denied. Judge Heaney, who authored the denial now supports Mr. Peltier's release, stating that the FBI used improper tactics to gain Mr. Peltier's conviction.

Other supporters for Peltier's freedom include Amnesty International, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Coretta Scott King, Nelson Mandela, many members of Congress and millions of people, an entire race of people, who have suffered enough by unfair, and even racist government behavior. Given all of the above, I am asking you to include the Peltier case in your investigations. We request the subpoena of the 6,000+ FBI documents that remain secret. These could show the motivation behind the FBI's acts of misconduct. The evidences of the Salvati case shows the seriousness of the charge that the FBI in some cases are threatening our democracy and an individual's human rights. It is time for accountability, and review of such cases showing evidences of FBI misconduct, and abuse of human rights, democracy, and justice.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Mark

post script:

For more information contact:
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
P.O. Box 7488, Fargo, ND 58106
Phone: 701/235-2206; E-mail: contact(at}whoisleonardpeltier[dot]info

For the Flyby News Archive issue featuring a Canadian article with a testimonial of Myrtle Poor Bear, see:

"Woman Who Implicated Activist in Killings Says She Was Forced Into It By FBI"
By Kirk Makin, Justice Reporter, Toronto
(Published by The Golbe & Mail - November 11, 2000)



Leonard Peltier Congressional Briefing Video

On May 17, 2000, Congressman John Porter sponsored a congressional briefing on the case of Leonard Peltier and its related circumstances on the Pine Ridge reservation. This video contains testimonies on Leonard Peltier and related circumstances on the Pine Ridge reservation, which includes the Constitutional misconduct of the FBI. Featured is testimony from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Rigoberta Menchu Tum; acclaimed human rights activist and attorney, Jennifer Harbury; Pine Ridge reign of terror survivor, Debbie White Plume; shoot-out survivor, Nilak Butler; LPDC spokesperson and survivor, Jean Day; former NPR journalist, Kevin McKiernan; Amnesty International Advocacy Director, Carlos Salinas; National Congress of American Indians Executive Officer, Ernie Stevens Jr., and Leonard Peltier's lawyer since trial and expert in FBI activities on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Bruce Ellison.

Kevin McKiernan, journalist, stated: "[I] was there on June 25, 1975, outside the Jumping Bull ranch on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, when some of the bullets were flying." In his editorial, he provides eye witness account to the "climate of fear" on Pine Ridge 27 years ago, saying that "it matched anything I have experienced reporting from war zones like El Salvador and the Middle East." Mr. McKiernan concurs with Judge Heaney who wrote in his clemency plea, "At some time, the healing process must begin. We as a nation must recognize their unique culture and their great contribution to our nation."



Nilak Butler, one of the survivors of the Pine Ridge Reservation's "Reign of Terror" and who testified at the Congressional briefing hearing, (see above), passed from this world on December 26th, 2002.

We wish to express condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.


On the Passing of Nilak Butler: A Statement from Leonard

I am deeply saddened by the news I received regarding the passing of my good friend and sister in the struggle, Nilak Butler...Nilak was a strong and courageous woman who was admired by all those who knew her.

I remember those early days when she took the responsibility of placing herself out in front on many issues seeking to correct the wrongs and gain justice for our people. She fought so hard all her life against these injustices perpetuated against us. Nilak knew the meaning of sacrifice as she always put the needs of the people ahead of her personal needs. Her humor and her dedication will always stand out. She is one of the finest examples of the strength and courage of Native women that I know.

We will all certainly miss her presence in the struggle and miss her as a friend. We must honor her life by picking up where she left off. We must continue this struggle to ensure the future of the coming generations.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier



Peacepipe Network - temporary host of the LPDC - Update - 18 February 2003

While we are all waiting for the new official LPDC website, here are some sites sent in by readers of the last email. If you know of some sites with good Leonard Peltier information, send them in. It would also be nice to provide everyone with a complete list of LPSG and AIM websites around the world, if you have any of these, or any other links of interest, send them to me soon. We are also hoping to collect audio, video and pictures from LPSG's around the world who attend Feb 15 2003 Peace March events. Already we have heard from the UK, Texas, Seattle, and New York. Let us know what you saw and what you have, and then we can create a new page with supporters from around the globe. Email me soon at peacepipetv@hotmail.com

Reader Suggested ~ Leonard Peltier Supporter Websites :

www.PeltierSupport.org
www.homestead.com/arvollookinghorse/Index.html
users.skynet.be/kola/index2.htm
www.FlybyNews.com
www.stevefree.com
www.pechanga.net
thestruggle.envy.nu/index.html
www.nativeamericacalling.com
MacMouse.Com
Hawaii-Nation.Org
AlohaQuest.Com

UNTIL FREEDOM IS WON !!!



In the Spirit of Crazy Horse: Strange Man of the Oglalas

A classic book written by Mari Sandoz, published in 1938, is a biography called: Crazy Horse: Strange Man of the Oglalas. She interviewed living witnesses to chronicle this sacred life, and the betrayal, not just from the US government, but also by those of his own people. Yet the story of the past is a light post about evolutionary politics, and uniting to transform the US government with a democracy. For us to unite effectively, as one people, the lessons of Crazy Horse and Leonard Peltier must come to light, and we need to unite behind what is good in the USA, before darkness covers life from all human perceptions in this world.

The following information is excerpted from Colonial & Postcolonial Literary Dialogues. The dialog in this case is about the biography written by Mari Sandoz, Crazy Horse: the Strange Man of the Oglalas. Flyby News highly recommends reading this book.

[Page Created by: Allen Carey-Webb]
Western Michigan University
http://www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/crazyhorse.html

Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas

'Crazy Horse' is a biography of one of the most famous Native American warriors in recent history. Mari Sandoz, the author, interviewed dozens of Crazy Horse's people in the 1930's, all of them by then old people. From interviews, facts, and letters, she constructed this semi-fictionalized biography of the great Sioux warrior. He is most famous for defeating Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, but there was much more to his life than merely that one battle. The book attempts to describe and chart the lives of Crazy Horse and his Sioux people during the mid to late nineteenth century, during which they were enduring the immense pressures of the United States' Indian Wars, as well as settlers pressure on the Sioux land.

Dialogues

Mari Sandoz tells us Crazy Horse was born in or around the year 1842 to Sioux parents on Rapid Creek, in an area called the Black Hills, or Paha Sapa. The Black Hills were the center of Sioux land, which spread out into what is now called Wyoming, Nebraska, South and North Dakota, and Montana. The young boy was light-skinned compared to his people, and his hair was light-colored and curly, earning him his childhood name of 'Curly.'

When still just a pre-teen, Curly witnessed the shooting of some of his people by the Army, led by a man named Grattan. The shooting was over the loss of a cow, something ridiculous. This was one of dozens of incidents in the book where clashes between the whites and the Indians went badly; growing up with these types of things happening to his people constantly, Crazy Horse vowed to protect his people from the whites' invasion of Sioux land.

From bravery in battle, 'Curly' was granted the name of his father, Crazy Horse. Quickly he was recognized for his cunning, as well as bravery and skill in battle. Often Crazy Horse led decoys in battles, like in the Fetterman Massacre and Platte Bridge battles. There were many other Sioux warriors and leaders besides Crazy Horse who helped (often in giving up their lives) the effort of their people to keep their homeland. Others mentioned and chronicled in the book are Sitting Bull (the medicine man who once cut out 100 pieces of his own skin in order to get a vision), Young Man Afraid of His Horse, Spotted Tail, Worm (Crazy Horse's father's name in later life), Red Cloud, Touch the Clouds, Little Big Man, American Horse, Conquering Bear, He Dog, and Dull Knife.

Throughout the book there are mentions of promises and treaties struck up between the US government and the Indians, including the famous one that used the phrase 'as long as grass grows and rivers run.' Of course none of them worked, as eventually each and every one crumbled beneath the weight of westward expansion, manifest destiny, and an insatiable desire harboured by the whites for not just more land, but all of the land. The embodiment of the Indians' plight and frantic struggle for their precious homeland was in the Battle of the Little Big Horn (recounted in Crazy Horse, as well as from the white perspective in Sandoz' book The Battle of the Little Big Horn). Perhaps the most famous of all battles between Indians and the US government, this one went down as the greatest defeat by the Indians in history.

General Custer (ironically known for his long, curly hair, too) and his soldiers were completely wiped out by the Sioux. But even this great conquest against the invading forces of the whites was not enough to stop the ever-encroaching tide of people. They kept coming and coming, eventually overwhelming even the Sioux by sheer numbers, and by killing their main food source, buffalo.

In a vision, Crazy Horse saw himself with a pebble in his hair in a hailstorm, protected from everything. In every battle he painted his horse in hailstones, and hung his medicine stone in a knot in his hair. The medicine held true, as he was never harmed by enemy bullets in any of his many skirmishes and wars. In the end, true to his vision, it was one of his own people who aided in his death. Two Sioux warriors, then turned into guards for the white men, were holding Crazy Horse's arms while he struggled against going into a prison, where he knew he would die. A soldier stabbed him several times with a bayonet in the back, resulting in his death.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Sandoz, Mari. Crazy Horse: the Strange Man of the Oglalas.
Nebraska: Bison Books, University of Nebraska Press, 1971.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Mari Sandoz literary page link (books for sale and some info) :
http://www.sandozlit.com/siouxhistory.html

Sheridan County Publishing
117 North Main Street
Gordon, NE 69343
Ph/Fax: (308) 282-9972
msbooks@gpcom.net
= = = = = = = = = = =

by Sandoz, Mari
Publisher: University Of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 0803292112
Retail Price: $ 14.95

www.insight-books.com/new/0803292112.html

The views expressed herein are writers’ own and not necessarily of Flyby News.
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