<+>=<+>KOLA Newslist<+>=<+>
From: "LPDC" <lpdc@idir.net>
Subject: Peltier receives visit from renowned humanitarians
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2000 23:12:14 -0600
To: kolahq@skynet.be
(Forward to all interested, including your local media--thanks --LPDC)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(February 18, 2000)
WORLD RENOWNED HUMANITARIANS MET WITH PELTIER IN PRISON
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Rigoberta
Menchu
Tum, along with Amnesty International and attorney Jennifer Harbury,
met
with Native American Leonard Peltier in prison today. Rigoberta
Menchu Tum
is a Mayan citizen of Guatemala whose work for human rights and equality
for
Indigenous peoples has won her world acclaim and recognition.
She has
traveled to the United States from Guatemala both to urge US government
officials to release Mr. Peltier and to meet with Mr. Peltier in person.
“Leonard Peltier’s resistance is an example for all Indigenous Peoples,”
said Sra. Menchu, “as long as he is not free, none of us can be free.”
Rigoberta Menchu Tum told Leonard Peltier that she would be including
his
case and the Pine Ridge “reign of terror” from which his case stems,
in her
new program for Universal Justice. Part of the focus of this
program will
be to stop those responsible for human rights atrocities from receiving
impunity. This relates to the Pine Ridge Reservation because
64
traditionalists and American Indian Movement members were murdered,
and over
300 more were brutalized between 1973 and 1976. Despite an overwhelming
FBI
presence on the reservation, none of these crimes were ever investigated,
and in fact, evidence points to the FBI’s direct involvement and intentional
complicity in the crimes. It was in this climate that the 1975
shoot out on
the reservation, which led to Mr. Peltier’s incarceration, occurred.
Leonard Peltier praised Rigoberta Menchu Tum’s efforts stating that,
“Racism
against Native peoples is still alive and strong. When our people are
murdered, no one cares, and yet when the agents were killed, someone
had to
pay, even if they were innocent. No stronger and more blatant
statement can
be made that justice for Native Peoples is not yet a reality in the
United
States when this can still occur. Something must be done.”
Curt Goering, Senior Deputy Executive Director of Amnesty International,
also attended the meeting. Amnesty International considers Leonard
Peltier
to be a political prisoner who should be immediately released.
Mr. Goering
met with Mr. Peltier to find out what more Amnesty International could
do to
support his freedom effort. “One possibility we discussed,” said
Goering,
“is that Amnesty International could request the opportunity to attend
and
testify at the parole hearing on Leonard’s behalf.” Leonard Peltier
is long
overdue for parole and will undergo an interim parole review hearing
this
May. Mr. Peltier is currently suing the Parole Commission for
using
discriminatory, erroneous, and capricious reasoning for denying his
release.
February 6 marked Mr. Peltier’s 24th year in prison for the murder of
two
FBI agents. When faced with formerly withheld evidence on appeal
casting
serious doubt on Mr. Peltier’s guilt, the prosecution admitted that
they
could not prove who killed the agents. The appeal was denied
on a
technicality and the judge would later recommend Mr. Peltier be released
through executive clemency. Despite this, Mr. Peltier remains
in prison,
thus expanding his notoriety as a symbol of injustice against Indigenous
Peoples.
CONTACT:
The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
Gina Chiala, co-coordinator
785-842-5774
Call the White House Comments Line Today
Demand Justice for Leonard Peltier! 202-456-1111
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
785-842-5774
www.freepeltier.org
<+>=<+>
Information Pages: http://users.skynet.be/kola/index.htm
Online Petition: http://kola-hq.hypermart.net
Greeting Cards: http://users.skynet.be/kola/cards.htm
<+>=<+>
if you want to be removed from the KOLA
Email Newslist, just send us a message with
"unsub" in the subject or text body
<+>=<+>