Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Requests Executive Clemency [Jan. 17, 2000]

PARDONING ABUSES
Clinton Faults Include Leaving Peltier in Jail
Letters: The Daily Herald, Everett, WA [March 2, 2001]
Transmitted via NativeNews Online

No Justice for Peltier
Guest Column by Kevin Matthews
The Cincinnati Post [Jan. 12, 2000]

LPDC Updates: January 2000
[01/20/01]
[01/17/01]
[01/14/01]
[01/07/01]
[01/03/01]

LISTEN to Audio Clips of the May 17, 2000 Congressional Briefing on Leonard Peltier

Rigoberta Menchu, Nobel Peace Prize recipient

Jennifer Harbury, Attorney

Carlos Salinas, Amnesty International

Kevin McKierman, Freelance Journalist, formerly of National Public Radio's All Things Considered

Deborah Whiteplume, Pine Ridge Resident, American Indian Movement (AIM) Supporter

Ernie Stevens Jr., National Congress of American Indians

Nilak Butler, Pine Ridge, AIM

Jean Day, Leonard Peltier Defence Committee, AIM

Bruce Ellison, AIM Attorney

Read Selected Transcripts of Speaker Comments -- Links courtesy of videoactivism.org

National Congress of American Indians Affirms Support for Peltier Clemency
In a letter to President Clinton, the Executive Committee of the National Congress of American Indians urged the President to grant Leonard Peltier immediate Executive Clemency. Citing the injustices in Peltier¹s trial, along with his failing health as solid grounds for granting him clemency, the NCAI leadership emphasized the importance of this issue to the Native American community. " [Mr. President] Now is the time to make a strong statement to the American public, and the world, reflecting this important ideal‹that injustice towards this country¹s indigenous peoples will no longer be tolerated, nor sanctioned by a just U.S. government."

Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Requests Executive Clemency

In letters to President Clinton and Prime Minister Chretien, Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, discusses Mr. Peltier's extradition from Canada being based upon "fabricated evidence, falsified affidavits and perjured testimony."

"...The killing of FBI agents at Pine Ridge was reprehensible, but the government now admits that it cannot prove that Mr. Peltier killed the agents." --- Congressman Don Edwards, former FBI Agent

Photos from NYC
Peltier Walk for Freedom
Photos by Nat Bender [12/10/00]

Current and Past
Supporters of Clemency
for Leonard Peltier

Click here for complete listing in PDF format

Letter from Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Testimony from Paul Berg, Former Pine Ridge BIA Empoyee

Letter from Congressman Don Edwards, Former FBI Agent

Statement from Congresswoman Maxine Waters

Letter from NCAI

Letter signed by World Renowned Human Rights Leaders

Go to More Support Statements

Rev. Jesse Jackson Voices Support for Clemency
Pacifica Radio's Amy Goodman asked Reverend Jesse Jackson about clemency for Leonard Peltier on November 30, 2000. Rev. Jackson replied, "I hope that when he [President Clinton] weighs it, he will free Peltier. He's been in jail a very long time for a crime he never committed in the first place. I hope that as an act of humanity that President Clinton will free Peltier."

Organizing Tools Available:
Congressional Briefing Video,
Postcards to White House, T-Shirts

Related News Archived at Native News Online

NYC Leonard Peltier Walk for Freedom

Jennifer Harbury, Peltier Attorney and Human Rights Activist [6:32] 766KB

Ramsey Clark, Former U.S. Attorney General [5:55] 693KB

Above audio courtesy of NYC-IMC. Additional audio from the Leonard Peltier Walk and Rally for Freedom can be accessed via the NYC-IMC radio web page.

Clemency Campaign

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Advocates Clemency in Letter to President
The Human Rights Commission is the second largest body of the United Nations and Mary Robinson is the most important figure in international human rights. She wrote her letter after the United Nations Workshop on Indigenous Media unanimously supported Peltier and asked her to intervene.

Former BIA Employee Comes Forward with Testimony about Pine Ridge Reign of Terror
On December 20, Paul Berg, a former BIA empoyee who worked on Pine Ridge and witnessed the Pine Ridge reign of terror came forward with lengthy testimony about what he experienced in a letter supporting clemency for Leonard Peltier.

Eyewitness Journalist Kevin McKiernan Urges Closure for Divisive Period in Indian History
Kevin McKiernan "was there on June 25, 1975, outside the Jumping Bull ranch on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, when some of the bullets were flying." In his editorial, he provides eye witness account to the "climate of fear" on Pine Ridge at the time, saying that "it matched anything I have experienced reporting from war zones like El Salvador and the Middle East." Mr. McKiernan concurs with Judge Heaney who wrote in his clemency plea, "At some time, the healing process must begin. We as a nation must recognize their unique culture and their great contribution to our nation."

Judge Gerald Heaney Renews Support for Clemency Campaign
Judge Gerald Heaney, who denied an appeal by Peltier in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, now confirms his support for Peltier¹s freedom. In an Oct. 24, 2000 letter to Senator Daniel Inouye, the Judge stated the following, "the FBI used improper tactics in securing Peltier¹s extradition from Canada and in otherwise investigating and trying the Peltier case. At some point a healing process must begin. Favorable action by the President in the Leonard Peltier case would be an important step in this regard."

Minneapolis Star-Tribune Editorial Board Supports Peltier Bid for Clemency
On December 2, 2000 the Editorial Board of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune favored a bid for clemency for Leonard Peltier. The paper stated, " If Clinton concludes that Peltier did exactly what the prosecutors said he did on June 26, 1975, there is still a credible case to be made for clemency. And if he concludes, as so many others have done, that the government exaggerated Peltier¹s culpability, that case becomes compelling."

Former Quebec Justice Questions Legality of Peltier Extradition
After an inquiry into Leonard Peltier¹s 1976 extradition from Canada, Fred Kaufman, a former Quebec justice, concluded that testimony used against Peltier was falsified. A key witness, Myrtle Poor Bear, admits she was threatened into stating that she witnessed the shooting and never actually saw Peltier shoot an agent. Justice Kaufman recently wrote President Clinton urging the release of Peltier based on the "grounds that Peltier¹s extradition and subsequent conviction in the murders are now highly questionable." The letter was turned over to the U.S. Embassy, along with additional informational materials on Monday. (source: Toronto Star,12/12/00)

Former FBI Agent and Member of Congress Rebukes FBI
Former FBI agent and member of Congress, Don Edwards, made a statement condemning the FBI's opposition to clemency. "The FBI used Mr. Pelteir as a scapegoat and they continue to do so today. At every step of the way, FBI agents and leadership have opposed any admission of wrongdoing by the government, and they have sought to misrepresent and politicize the meaning of clemency for Leonard Peltier. The killing of FBI agents at Pine Ridge was reprehensible, but the government now admits that it cannot prove that Mr. Peltier killed the agents."

Thousands Gather in Support of Clemency
On December 10, 2000 over 3000 people gathered in New York City in support of Executive Clemency for Leonard Peltier. Delegations from Native Nations, Human Rights organizations, churches and schools attended. Speakers included survivors of the Pine Ridge "Reign of Terror", authors Peter Matthiessen and Alice Walker, John Trudell, and members of Leonard Peltier's family among many others.

International Indigenous Reporters Call for Clemency at United Nations Meeting
An urgent letter was sent to the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, Mary Robinson, from indigenous journalists from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, North, Central, and South America. The United Nations Workshop on Indigenous Media made an urgent request that she contact President Clinton to urge clemency for Leonard Peltier. Members of the workshop stressed the importance of the issue to indigenous populations across the globe and noted that a decision for clemency "would set an important example for the promotion of universal justice."

World Renowned Human Rights Leaders Urge President Clinton to Grant Clemency
In a recent letter to President Clinton, Coretta Scott King, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sister Helen Prejean, Gloria Steinem, Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum and others voiced their strong support for clemency for Leonard Peltier. Stating that, "Mr. Peltier has paid with 25 years of his life for this miscarriage of justice; his release is long overdue," the well-known leaders also emphasized the healing power the release would have on the tenuous relationship between America¹s indigenous peoples and the Federal government.

Peltier Case Raised During Clinton's Visit to Ireland
During Bill Clinton's visit to Ireland, Nobel Laureate and European Parliament Member, John Hume as well as Sinn Fein's Jerry Adams, raised Peltier's case in face-to-face meetings with the President. The Irish Government confirmed that their Ambassador in Washington has raised the Peltier case with the White House and that President Clinton has confirmed that he will review the clemency request before he leaves office.