[Ppnews] Leonard Peltier - 2 articles
Political Prisoner News
ppnews at freedomarchives.org
Fri Jan 23 10:32:47 EST 2009
President Obama must free Leonard Peltier
http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/20/2009/3347
by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
January 23, 2009
The welcome news that President Obama is taking steps to shut
Guantanamo and right other Bush-era human rights abuses must quickly
be joined by a proclamation of freedom for Leonard Peltier.
Peltier is the nation's best-known native activist and has become a
global symbol of abject injustice and prison abuse. Imprisoned in the
late 1970s for allegedly murdering two FBI agents, Peltier has never
been given a fair trial. Federal authorities have quashed or
destroyed thousands of pages of evidence that might have freed
Peltier decades ago.
The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee points out that
"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."
The committee adds that" Documents show that although the prosecution
and government pointed the finger at Peltier for shooting FBI agents
at close range during the trial in 1976, for three years the
prosecution withheld critical ballistic test results proving that the
fatal bullets could not have come from the gun tied to Leonard
Peltier. This trial also denied evidence of self defense."
The committee further states that: "the U.S. Prosecutor, during
subsequent oral arguments, stated: "we can't prove who shot those
agents." And that 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."
The committee also says that "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."
Now 64 years old, Peltier is suffering from diabetes and a series of
other serious ailments brought on by his decades in prison. He has
great grandchildren he has never seen. His case is the centerpiece of
the book IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE by Peter Matthiessen.
Reports from Betty Peltier-Solano, Leonard's sister, now assert that
Peltier was severely beaten during a recent transfer to the Canaan
Federal Penitentiary. According to Peltier-Solano, he has been held
in solitary confinement and limited to a single meal a day, a serious
threat to his health due to his diabetes.
Over the decades Peltier has been a model prisoner, concentrating on
his art and writing. His commitment to native American rights has
been consistent throughout the years, though he's been repeatedly
denied media access.
Peltier is eligible for parole in the near future. His supporters
fear this latest round of abuse may be designed to discredit him. The
FBI recently sent a letter accusing Peltier of prompting this latest
attack. Given Peltier's age, poor health, immanent parole status and
long-standing political commitments cannot be viewed as a calculated
absurdity. His sister writes that "currently, the FBI is actively
seeking support for his continued imprisonment."
The political involvement of the FBI is itself an issue the President
must address. At very least Peltier should be freed on bail pending a
new trial, with a concerted effort on the part of the new Department
of Justice to unearth all suppressed evidence in this case.
Leonard Peltier has languished unjustly in prison far longer than
those held in Guantanamo. It is time to set him free!
To find out more, contact the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense
Committee at
<http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info>http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info.
--
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman have co-authored four books on
election protection, which appear at http://freepress.org, along with
Bob's FITRAKIS FILES. Harvey's HISTORY OF THE U.S. is at
http://harveywasserman.com. This article was originally published by
http://freepress.org.
*****************************************************************************
Leonard Peltier beaten in prison
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/brenda-norrell/2009/01/leonard-peltier-beaten-prison
January 22, 2009
By Brenda Norrell
CANAAN, Penn. -- Leonard Peltier was jumped and severely beaten by a
gang after being transferred from a prison in Lewisburg to Canaan on
January 13. The family, however, was not notified by the prison and
received the information by way of a letter from Peltier. Peltier,
64, was placed in solitary confinement.
"Once Mr. Peltier arrived at the Canaan prison facility, he was
jumped by younger inmates, severely beaten, put in solitary
confinement and placed upon meal restrictions despite his having
diabetes and other medical conditions," the Leonard Peltier Defense
Offense Committee said in a statement.
"The family has requested copies of the video tapes of that incident
to no avail. It is as if the whole scenario was contrived to detract
from the fact that Mr. Peltier has been a model prisoner having more
than enough points to qualify for parole," LPDOC said.
Peltier called his neice, Kari Ann Cowan, from the prison on Jan. 22.
During the live online
<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/NAMAPAHH_Radio>NAMAPAHH Blog Talk Radio
hosted by Robin Carneen, Cowan relayed the information. It was
Peltier's first phone call since the transfer and prison beating.
During the call, Peltier said he will not be allowed "out of the
hole" and in the general population.
Peltier said Canaan is a tough place, where gangs are being brought
in. "He is one of the oldest ones there," Cowan said. "He will not be
allowed back in the general population or he will be jumped."
Cowan said the FBI did tell Peltier that he was the victim in the
attack, which she said was filmed on camera.
Peltier said he was set up in the attack. "It was a cold blooded
setup," Cowan said. She said he did not know his attackers. "He has
never seen his attackers before."
Peltier said he will be allowed only one phone call every 30 days.
Cowan said she is hopeful that President Obama will work "nation to
nation" with the Turtle Mountain Chippewas to bring Peltier home to
North Dakota.
"We have to push for his transfer, he is not safe there."
During the NAMAPAHH Radio program tonight, Peltier's attorney was
called by the prison. The prison will not allow his attorney to speak
to him tomorrow.
"It is outrageous," said attorney Michael Kuzma of Buffalo, N.Y,
concerning the co-counsel the prison has denied entry to speak with Peltier.
"What are they hiding?" Kuzma said they have hidden documents before,
but not Leonard.
"Now they are hiding Leonard Peltier."
Earlier, the report of the beating came by way of a letter from Peltier.
LPDOC said, "Once Mr. Peltier arrived at the Canaan prison facility,
he was jumped by younger inmates, severely beaten, put in solitary
confinement and placed upon meal restrictions despite his having
diabetes and other medical conditions," the Leonard Peltier Defense
Offense Committee said in a statement ."The family has requested
copies of the video tapes of that incident to no avail. It is as if
the whole scenario was contrived to detract from the fact that Mr.
Peltier has been a model prisoner having more than enough points to
qualify for parole," LPDOC said.
Recently, the amount of hate mail circulated on the Internet
regarding Peltier and appeals for his release has increased and could
have played a role in the attack on Peltier.
The LPDOC said, "Retired, former and actively employed FBI agents
have taken action against the release and parole of Leonard Peltier
time and again. While it is their right to speak their opinion, it is
not right to do so on federal time and at the taxpayer's expense.
Their letters, writings, articles, books, protests, outcries and
interviews concerning Mr. Peltier, are a conflict of interest and tip
the scales against him unfairly. In addition, it is certainly
questionable as to the timing of a letter written by a former FBI
Agent to Representative John Conyers and the beating Mr. Peltier
received at Canaan."
The LPDOC said the attack on Peltier comes on the heels of the FBI's
recent letter, prompting this attack by FBI supporters as an attempt
to discredit Peltier as a model prisoner. "Anyone who has been in the
prison system knows well that if you refuse to name your attackers or
file charges against them, then you lose your status as a victim
and/or given points against your possible parole and labeled as a
perpetrator. It is not uncommon, in fact is quite common for the
government to use Indian against Indian and they still operate under
the old adage "it takes an Indian to catch an Indian," LPDOC said.
In 1978, the US government made an attempt to assassinate Peltier,
offering another Indian inmate at Marion prison with Leonard Peltier,
a chance at freedom. The man was Standing Deer. Standing Deer
befriended Peltier in prison and exposed the plot to assassinate him.
Standing Deer was murdered in Houston after his release from prison.
LPDOC said, "Standing Deer chose to reveal the plot to him instead of
taking his life in exchange for a chance at freedom. When Standing
Deer was released in 2001, he joined the former Leonard Peltier
Defense Committee as a board member. He also began to speak on
Leonard's behalf until his murder six years ago today. Prior to his
murder, Standing Deer confided with close friends and associates that
the same man who visited him in Marion to assassinate Peltier, had
came to Houston and told him that he had better stay away from
Peltier and anything to do with him," the LDPOC said. (An interview
with Ben Carnes on Standing Deer and Peltier can be heard at
<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Brenda-Norrell/2008/12/27/Ben-Carnes-and-Kahentinetha-Best-of-Longest-Walk-Talk-Radio>Censored
News Blog Radio or at
<http://www.earthcycles.net/journal/index.php?56>Earthcycles on Longest Walk.)
As of December, Peltier is eligible for a full parole hearing. The
hearing will likely occur this year, but no date has been announced.
Micheal Kuzma, an attorney for Leonard Peltier's defense, described
the attack on Peltier in prison, during an interview with American
Indian Airwaves on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Kuzma said Peltier's sister
Betty Peltier-Solano, executive coordinator of the Leonard Peltier
Defense Offense Committee,
received a letter from Peltier, but was never notified by prison
officials of the attack. Peltier was transferred from Lewisburg to
Canaan prison during the week of Jan. 12th and attacked on the 13th,
by other inmates.
Kuzma said, "According to the letter, he thinks he might have a
concussion. His middle finger on his left hand is either broken or
badly injured. He has a large bump near his right wrist. The right
side of his rib cage and chest are in pain. He also has a bruise on
the right side of his chest. He also has a bruise on his left knee,
and is suffering from headaches. These headaches are a direct result
of the Jan. 13 beating."
Listen to Robin Carneen's NAMAPAHH First People's Radio on Blog Talk Radio:
<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/NAMAPAHH_Radio>http://www.blogtalkradio.com/NAMAPAHH_Radio
Listen to American Indian Airwaves (last 20 minutes of program) on Jan. 21 at:
<http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/xml/americanindian.xml>http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/xml/americanindian.xml
AIM West plans a protest in solidarity with Peltier to draw attention
to the attack and call for his release on Friday in San Francisco.
<http://www.aimwest.info/>http://www.aimwest.info/
For more information: LPDOC:
<http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/>http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/
Updates at Censored News:
<http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com>http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863-9977
www.Freedomarchives.org
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