[Ppnews] President Obama, please grant Peltier clemency

[Political Prisoner News]

President Obama, please grant Peltier clemency

September 2, 4:04 PM
[]
 Deborah Dupre'

Six-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, American 
political prisoner Leonard Peltier was 
unsuccessful at his hearing on 28 July, 2009, the 
first full parole hearing held in the case since 
1993. Parole was denied so is petitioning 
President Obama for Executive Clemency.

A worldwide outpouring of support for Peltier's 
release has included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 
Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and 
Rigoberta Menchu, the U.N. High Commissioner on 
Human Rights, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, 
the European Parliament, the Belgian Parliament, 
the Italian Parliament, the Kennedy Memorial 
Center for Human Rights, Rev. Jesse Jackson and 
several American Indian nations and organizations 
including the National Congress of American 
Indians and the Assembly of First Nations 
according to 
<http://Peltier%E2%80%99s%20support%20over%20the%20years%20have%20been%20from%20Archbishop%20Desmond%20Tutu,%20Nobel%20Peace%20Prize%20winners%20Nelson%20Mandela%20and%20Rigoberta%20Menchu,%20the%20U.N.%20High%20Commissioner%20on%20Human%20Rights,%20the%2014th%20Dalai%20Lama%20Tenzin%20Gyatso,%20the%20European%20Parliament,%20the%20Belgian%20Parliament,%20the%20Italian%20Parliament,%20the%20Kennedy%20Memorial%20Center%20for%20Human%20Rights,%20Rev.%20Jesse%20Jackson%20and%20several%20American%20Indian%20nations%20and%20organizations%20including%20the%20National%20Congress%20of%20American%20Indians%20and%20the%20Assembly%20of%20First%20Nations.>Native 
American Times.

Over 500 VIP and celebrity 
<http://www.freepeltiernow.org/support.htm>Peltier 
supporters have requested his release.

In addition to concerns about fairness of his 
conviction, parole was sought by Peltier and his 
lawyer based on his good conduct record in prison 
and arrangements made by the Turtle Mountain 
tribe to receive him into their community on his release.

In 1976, Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier was 
arrested and illegally imprisoned for a crime he 
did not commit according to 
<http://freepeltiernow.blogspot.com/2009/09/solidarity-with-leonard-peltier.html>Friends 
of Peltier organization.

Amnesty International “regretted the US Parole 
Commission’s decision not to grant Leonard 
Peltier parole despite concerns about the 
fairness of his 1977 conviction for murder.

The organization called for the immediate release 
on parole of the activist, who is serving two 
consecutive life sentences and has spent more 
than 32 years in prison.” (Press Agency Emmegi, 
<http://www.reporterfreelance.info/2009/08/usa-denial-of-parole-to-leonard-peltier-after-more-than-32-years-in-prison-disappointing/>USA: 
Denial of parole to Leonard Peltier after more 
than 32 years in prison, disappointing, August 22,2009)

"Why should Americans care about this case?" the Friends group asks.

"The very same government tactics used to bring 
about Peltier's wrongful conviction are being 
applied today­not for the sake of "national 
security," as is claimed, but simply to quash 
dissent," according to Arthur J. Miller, a 
co-coordinator for the Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group.

The group is appealing to President Obama to 
grant Executive Clemency to Peltier.

The United States Courts of Appeal have 
repeatedly acknowledged investigative and 
prosecutorial misconduct in this case but, by 
their decisions, refused to take corrective 
action. A model prisoner, Leonard also has been 
denied fair consideration for parole and Executive Clemency.

The 
<http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Peltier_Clemency2008/>petition 
to President Obama is below.
************************************************
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Leonard Peltier, an innocent man, was convicted 
for the 1975 shooting deaths of two agents of the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. prosecutors 
have repeatedly admitted that they did not and 
cannot prove Peltier's guilt and the appellate 
courts have cited numerous instances of 
investigative and prosecutorial misconduct in 
this case. As late as November 2003, the 10th 
Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged that "Much 
of the government's behavior at the Pine Ridge 
Reservation and its prosecution of Mr. Peltier is 
to be condemned. The government withheld 
evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed."

The courts claim they lack the power to right 
this wrong. But, as President, you can.

In this case, your concern should be for equal 
treatment. From the time of Peltier's conviction 
until the mid-1990s, according to the Bureau of 
Justice Statistics, the average length of 
imprisonment served for homicide in the United 
States ranged from 94 to 99.8 months. Even if you 
were to take Peltier's two consecutive life 
sentences into account at the higher end of this 
range, it is clear that Peltier should have been 
released a very long time ago. His continued 
imprisonment after over 30 years appears to be 
nothing less than revenge for a crime Mr. Peltier 
did not commit. Personalized and politically 
motivated vengeance of this kind cannot be 
tolerated. The concepts of justice and good 
government require that you act to correct this wrong.

Peltier has served his time. Even by the 
government's own definition, he has already been 
imprisoned for a lifetime. In that time, he has 
missed the simplest things of ordinary life -- 
having dinner with friends, taking walks in the 
woods, gardening, children's laughter, dogs 
barking, the feel of rain on his face, the sound 
of birds singing... winter and summer and spring 
and fall. He has missed seeing his children and 
grandchildren grow up. They suffer, too. Mr. 
Peltier is now a great-grandfather. How many more 
generations must suffer this tragedy?

After careful consideration of the facts in Mr. 
Peltier's case, we have concluded that Leonard 
Peltier does not represent a risk to the public. 
First, Mr. Peltier has no prior convictions and 
has advocated for non-violence throughout his 
prison term. Furthermore, Mr. Peltier has been a 
model prisoner. He has received excellent 
evaluations from his work supervisors on a 
regular basis. He continues to mentor young 
Native prisoners, encouraging them to lead clean 
and sober lives. He has used his time 
productively, disciplining himself to be a 
talented painter and an expressive writer. 
Although Mr. Peltier maintains that he did not 
kill the agents, he has openly expressed remorse and sadness over their deaths.

Most admirably, Mr. Peltier contributes regular 
support to those in need. He donates his 
paintings to charities including battered women's 
shelters, half way houses, alcohol and drug 
treatment programs, and Native American 
scholarship funds. He also coordinates an annual 
gift drive for the children of the Pine Ridge 
Indian Reservation -- a successful program that, 
in 2006, expanded to include other reservations throughout the country.

Leonard Peltier is widely recognized in the human 
rights community for his good deeds and in turn 
has won several human rights awards including the 
North Star Frederick Douglas Award; Federation of 
Labour (Ontario, Canada) Humanist of the Year 
Award; Human Rights Commission of Spain 
International Human Rights Prize; and 2004 Silver 
Arrow Award for Lifetime Achievement. Mr. Peltier 
also has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize six times.

Leonard Peltier is over 60 years old and his 
health is deteriorating. He has suffered a stroke 
which left him partially blind in one eye. For 
many years, Peltier had a seriously debilitating 
jaw condition which left him unable to chew 
properly and caused consistent pain and 
headaches. Today, Mr. Peltier continues to suffer 
from diabetes, high blood pressure, and a heart 
condition. He risks blindness, kidney failure, 
stroke, and certainly premature death given his 
diet, living conditions, and health care.

We, the undersigned, say enough is enough, Mr. 
President. Do the right thing. Grant Executive 
Clemency to Leonard Peltier right away.

Thank you for giving fair consideration to Leonard Peltier.

----------
The group requests supporters sign the 
<http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Peltier_Clemency2008/>petition 
and to Call the White House Comment Line:
202-456-1111 / 202-456-1112 to say, "Mr. President, Free Peltier NOW!"

For more information about Peltier, watch the 
free movie narrated by Robert Redford, 
<http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/index1.htm>Incident at Oglala.




Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
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