> (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
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