Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee - International Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier 2012
 

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International Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier

04 February 2012

The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee recently called on supporters worldwide to protest against the injustice suffered by Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier. Supporters gathered on February 4, 2012, at every federal court house and U.S. embassy or consulate worldwide to demand the freedom of a man wrongfully convicted and illegally imprisoned for 36 years!

Solidarity Message - 04 February 2012

Greetings to the Peoples of Mother Earth who know injustice when they see it, stand against oppression where they find it, and defend the human rights of all Peoples!

An innocent man, American Indian Leonard Peltier was wrongfully convicted in 1977 by the United States government. He has served 36 years in prison despite proof of his innocence.

In the early 1970s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) supported the corrupt Sioux Tribal Chairman Dick Wilson (on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota) by providing arms and information to Wilson’s vigilantes. Anyone who opposed Wilson or who sought to advance Indigenous rights was targeted for abuse or worse. During a three-year period, reservation residents were terrorized. Hundreds of people were seriously injured and over 60 people were murdered.

The American Indian Movement (AIM) is committed to uniting all Native Peoples in an effort to uplift their communities and promote cultural pride and sovereignty. In 1975, frightened Pine Ridge residents called upon AIM for protection. Leonard Peltier was one of the AIM members who answered the call.

On June 26, 1975, FBI agents drove onto private property (where AIM members were known to be camped), allegedly in pursuit of a man accused of stealing a pair of boots. For unknown reasons, a shoot out began. When the skirmish ended, the two FBI agents were dead. A young Native American named Joe Stuntz also lay dead, shot through the head by a sniper bullet.

In a case developed by the FBI, Leonard Peltier was targeted for prosecution along with two other men. Fearing he would not receive a fair trial, Peltier went to Canada where he was arrested on February 6, 1976. Using false affidavits developed by the FBI, the U.S. government convinced the Canadian courts to extradite Peltier to the U.S.

At trial, Leonard Peltier was not permitted to adequately defend himself. His actions being no different than those of his co-defendants—who were tried separately and found not guilty by reason of self-defense—Leonard Peltier was nevertheless convicted and sentenced to two life terms. The U.S. government had succeeded in preventing critical evidence from being heard by the jury, presenting false evidence, and otherwise manipulating the trial to cause the conviction.

The U.S. courts have acknowledged that Mr. Peltier was convicted on the basis of fabricated and suppressed evidence, as well as coerced testimony, but refuse to grant Leonard a new trial. Leonard Peltier has been repeatedly denied parole, as well, despite his being a model prisoner and having met the criteria for release.  Peltier is 67 years of age and in poor health.  And still he waits for justice.

Today, we gather to tell President Obama—on constitutional and overriding human rights and compassionate grounds—to Free Peltier Now!  Act now, Mr. Obama, to right this wrong.  Free Leonard Peltier.  It's time.

Thank you, friends and supporters, for gathering in solidarity with Leonard Peltier.  As you have done today, raise your voices tomorrow and every day.  Do this until freedom is won!

International Headquarters of the

Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

USA

BELGIUM

Brussels, Belgium

CANADA

Toronto, Ontario, Canada:  19th Annual Traditional Prayer Vigil, Forum and Feast for Leonard Peltier on February 6, 2012 - 1:00-6:00 p.m., Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/user/Videographer1234567#p/u/9/ICYZbMII0hI

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/user/Videographer1234567#p/u/8/rpFTMJ1n1Cc

Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/user/Videographer1234567#p/u/7/2yZHLC-WGHU

Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/user/Videographer1234567#p/u/6/ChEaUXrw3iE

Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/user/Videographer1234567?blend=1&ob=0#p/u/6/h02tniyXllU

FRANCE

Rally in solidarity with Mumia Abu-Jamal and Leonard Peltier and against the death penalty, on February 8, 2012, from 18h to 20h before the U.S. Consulate, Place de la Concorde (corner of the Tuileries gardens and Rue de Rivoli), Paris, France.

GERMANY

Hamburg, Germany

IRELAND

Dublin, Ireland: International Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier. U.S. Embassy, 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, at 2:00 p.m.  Speaker:  Indigenous activist Jean Day.

UNITED STATES 

Los Angeles, California

International Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier: Clemency Now!

San Francisco, California

San Jose, California:  Join the 06 February standout in support of Leonard Peltier at the corner of Market Street and San Carlos Street (south end of Chavez Plaza).  Come support Leonard Peltier and distribute case literature to auto passengers and pedestrians. Bring signs, posters, banners. Suggestions: "Leonard Peltier - 36 Years Justice Denied," "Bill of Rights is another Broken Treaty - Free Leonard Peltier," or "Leonard Peltier is Innocent." Sponsored by LPDOC Chapter - Silicon Valley. Do you plan to join us or have questions? Contact Donna Wallach at 408-293-4774 or 408-569-6608, or by e-mail at dbwall@earthlink.net.

See video on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/PELTIERFREEDOM.

Decatur, Georgia

International Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier side event on 07 February.  LPDOC Chapter-Atlanta is hosting an awareness and solidarity action @ the PushPushTheatre, 121 New Street in Decatur GA @ 7:30 pm. View the Suzie Baer film "WARRIOR: The Life of LEONARD PELTIER".

Reno, Nevada

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Buffalo, New York

New York, New York

See:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY2AX_C27TA

Rapid City, South Dakota

Protesters rally for Peltier’s release

Tacoma, Washington

http://www.puyalluptribalnews.net/news/view/leonard-peltier-supporters-rally-in-tacoma/#.Tz7u60rY78w.email

 

Much of the information contained on this site is derived from In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiessen, the definitive work on the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the Peltier case. The author successfully defended against lawsuits brought by former Governor and Congressman William Janklow from South Dakota (convicted of manslaughter in 2003, jailed, and forced to resign his congressional seat in disgrace) and FBI Special Agent David Price in three different states, surviving an eight-year litigation. As acknowledged by the courts, Matthiessen's reputation for not being sensationalistic or scandalous is well known. He is a highly respected author and his works have received wide acclaim.

Copyright 2008-2013 Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee. Page Last Updated on Friday, 08 November 2013 05:20 PM

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

LPDOC, (Relocation to Coleman, FL, In Progress)