WHEREAS, since trial, it has been revealed through the use of the Freedom of Information Act that Leonard Peltier was convicted on the bases of fabricated and suppressed evidence in violation of his constitutional rights-affidavits used to arrest and extradite Peltier were false and Peltier's shell casing did not match the bullets that killed the agents-and, according to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, in 2003: ".Much of the government's behavior at the Pine Ridge Reservation and its prosecution of Leonard Peltier is to be condemned. The government withheld evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed"; and

WHEREAS, in a decision filed by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on December 18, 2002, it was stated that the sentences imposed "were imposed in violation of [Peltier's] due process rights because they were based on information that was false due to government misconduct"; and

WHEREAS, Leonard Peltier has nevertheless served more than 30 years in prison since his arrest on February 6, 1976; and

WHEREAS, although Leonard Peltier maintains that he did not kill the agents, he has openly expressed remorse and sadness over their deaths; and

WHEREAS, Leonard Peltier has no prior convictions and has advocated for non-violence throughout his prison term, been a model prisoner, and received excellent evaluations from his work supervisors on a regular basis; and

WHEREAS, Leonard Peltier continues to mentor young Native prisoners, encouraging them to lead clean and sober lives, and has used his time productively, disciplining himself to be a talented painter and an expressive writer; and

WHEREAS, Leonard Peltier contributes regular support to those in need, e.g., coordinating an annual holiday gift drive for the children of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and donating his paintings to charities including battered women's shelters, half way houses, alcohol and drug treatment programs, and Native American scholarship funds; and

WHEREAS, Leonard Peltier is widely recognized for his good deeds and in turn has won several 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); and

WHEREAS, Leonard Peltier, in 2008 and for the fifth consecutive year, also was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize; and

WHEREAS, worldwide, numerous and respectable law, religious, and political groups-including Amnesty International-and eight Nobel Peace Laureates (Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela among them) and noted individuals such as the late Coretta Scott King, widow of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., have called for Leonard Peltier's release; and

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