Leonard Peltier: Should he be released from prison?

[JanMichael]

I don't have much in the way of personal knowledge about this case but apparently Amnesty International, an organisation that I respect, thinks he ought to be pardoned. At least they did in 1999, has that opinion changed?

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR511601999

"Amnesty International is appealing for the release from prison of Leonard Peltier, an Anishinabe-Lakota Indian, who is serving two consecutive life-sentences for the murders of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents. The FBI agents, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, were shot at point-blank range after being wounded in a gunfight with Indian activists on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on 26 June 1975. Peltier fled to Canada. He was extradited to the USA and convicted of the murders in 1977."

"Amnesty International has investigated this case for many years. Although Amnesty International has not adopted Leonard Peltier as a prisoner of conscience, the organization remains concerned about the fairness of the proceedings leading to his conviction and believes that political factors may have influenced the way in which the case was prosecuted. Peltier is now in his twenty-second year of imprisonment and has exhausted all legal appeals against his conviction. He was denied parole (early release under supervision of the criminal justice system) in 1994 following a parole hearing in 1993 and his case will not be heard again via a full hearing by the Parole Commission until December 2008. Amnesty International has for some years been calling on the federal government to institute an executive review of the case but there is no evidence of any such action having been taken. In view of Amnesty International's continuing concerns about this case, and the fact that available remedies have been exhausted, Amnesty International is now calling for Leonard Peltier to be released from prison through an act of presidential pardon."

What's your opinion? Is it a miscarriage of Justice or is Justice being served?

Is Peltier a political prisoner now or a simple convict?

[philosophie_en_rose]

1. Set him free.

The investigation was corrupt.

[ShaneGR]

22. No, new trial

Those people didn't just get shot to death by themselves.... who else killed them?

[Bandit]

2. Yes years ago.

President Clinton should have pardoned him. One of the things I think Clinton neglected.

[Jane Roe]

23. Maybe Clinton didn't know

that he had the power to pardon.

[RebelOne]

3. I believe he was set up and used as a scapegoat.

[Terwilliger]

4. Yes

Peltier wasn't even at the scene of the death.

[freestatevet]

5. Yes,

just as soon as he finishes serving his sentence.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

6. In Cambridge a few years back, someone involved in the investigation

said Peltier was set up. I saw a speech at a Church and they presented all kinds of evidence that the investigation was corrupt and they were looking for a scapegoat.

[JailForBush]

7. Absolutely!

I'll never forgive Clinton for pardoning all those crooks while leaving Peltier to rot in prison.

Nor will I ever forget those right-wing FBI agents who marched to protest any attempt to pardon him. I wish I had a copy of that video, because I recall it as CREEPY in the extreme; if my memory serves me correctly, they were practically goose stepping!

Screw the FBI.

[G_j]

8. yes!

don't let him die in prison, let the healing begin.

see www.freepeltier.org

[DuctapeFatwa]

9. Yes

I am opposed to imprisoning people for being uppity Indians.

[Loonman]

10. Re-examine the case, cut him loose

But Amnesty International can kiss my ass.

[dawgman]

11. yes

yes

[laruemtt]

12. yes

he should never have been imprisoned!

[grannylib]

13. Absolutely...this has gone on far too long as it is.

[randr]

14. Clintons' greatest sin

in my mind was not releasing Leonard.

[IrateCitizen]

18. Well, he did have to pardon Marc Rich instead...

... so maybe he was too busy. :grr:

[el_gato]

15. one more YES

[hyphenate]

16. I think he is a political prisoner

And that the FBI used him as a scapegoat.

I talked with Leonard several times in the early 90s, as my boss at the time was a lawyer who worked with a group trying to exonerate him. He was a gentleman on the telephone, and always was kind and polite. I don't know too many murderers who would shoot someone point blank and still have that kind of humility.

It's a shame that Clinton didn't pardon him; many of us thought that would have been the ideal thing to do.

[ellie]

17. Yes

For more info on the case, visit freepeltier.org

[Syncronaut Seven]

19. It will happen about the same time

that they resolve that $10b trust fund issue.

http://www.restoringamerica.org/archive/elected/lack_of_trust.html

[anarchy1999]

20. Absolutely.

n/t
There is no argument here. Wrongful imprisonment, justice gone bad.

[hlthe2b]

21. YES!!! 'followed his case for years and am apalled that he remains

jailed. If I could ask one question of Clinton, it would be "how in God's name could he have refused his pardon?" I like Clinton, but this is one piece of his record I find inconceivable.

[Terwilliger]

24. kick

[LeahMira]

25. Plenty of info about the case...

... at www.freepeltier.org

Also, if you are interested, get "Incident at Oglala" from the video store.

Even the FBIs have admitted that they have no idea who killed the agents. But someone had to take the blame.

It would be a wonderful thing for all American Indians if finally Leonard were released. Unfortunately, I don't think the U.S. government is ever going to permit that to happen.

[WarNoMore]

26. Yes!

Way too many things wrong with the handling of the case. I wonder where the presidential candidates come down on this? The march of the FBI seemed to me to be wholly political.

[govegan]

27. If the two dead men were Indians, and the suspect were a white

FBI agent...........

would there even have been a trial?


from Indian Wars (words and music by Bruce Cockburn) recorded by Burning Sky on Blood of the Land (The treaties were broken, but we remain strong.)

You thought it was over but it's just like before
Will their never be a end to the Indian wars?

It's not breech loading rifles or wholesale slaughter
It's kickbacks and thugs and diverted waters
Treaties got signed and the papers changed hands
But they might as well draft those agreements in sand.

[DrWeird]

28. I'm rather surprised.

This thread's been here for hours and nobody, yet, has showed up to complain.

Usual when a minority has been convicted of killing white law enforcement officer(s) there's people ranting and raving about how the conviction is proof that he's guilty. Regardless of the evidence/witnesses.

[JanMichael]

There was one rather covert "nay".

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1104258&mesg_id=1104294&page=

[DrWeird]

31. Ah, I missed that.

What a joker.

[tom_paine]

34. Yes, but it was a Fair Und Balanced "Nay"

And that makes all the difference.

[bhunt70]

29. yes, of course.

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[Red_Storm]

32. Peltier is a political prisoner.............

learn about the history of the Pine Ridge reservation and all the terrible things that went on there before and after the murder of the FBI agents.......

[tom_paine]

33. Yes, free Leonard Peletier

A new trail, at the very least.

Given what we know about FBI activities in the 60s and 70s (which are coming back today that future generations WON'T ever hear about), Peletier being set up is a distinct possibility, or being provoked or acting in self-dfensee against corrupt agents or perhaps he was framed by the GOON (Guardians of the Ogalala Nation, a Bushevik mafia-style organization if ecvere I've heard of one) squad members who did the killing or any number of things.

Give Leonard Peletier a new trial. If the evidence warrants it, free him.

Of course, in Imperial Amerika the number of political prisoners is on the rise and so is gross injustice.

The time to Free Leonard was while the Old American Republci was still in existance.

Far from freeing Leonard, I am concerned we are going to wind up in the cell down the hall from him by 2020.

But yes, JanMicheal, to answer your question:



http://www.freepeltier.org/