Leonard Peltier, a Native American political prisoner, who was illegally extradited from Canada to the United States. He has been incarcerated for over 30 years. He was recently denied parole until 2024.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
Attorney Seitz responds to the denial of parole for Leonard Peltier
From: [email protected]
The Bush Administration holdovers on the U.S. Parole Commission today adopted the position of the FBI that anyone who may be implicated in the killings of its agents should never be paroled and should be left to die in prison. Despite judicial determinations that the unrepentant FBI fabricated evidence and presented perjured testimony in Leonard Peltier's prosecution; despite a jury's acquittal on grounds of self-defense of two co-defendants who were found to have engaged in the same conduct of which Mr. Peltier was convicted; despite Mr. Peltier's exemplary record during his incarceration for more than 33 years and his clearly demonstrated eligibility for parole; despite letters and petitions calling for his release submitted by millions of people in this country and around the world including one of the judges who ruled on his earlier appeals; and despite his advanced age and deteriorating health, the Parole Commission today informed Mr. Peltier that his "release on parole would depreciate the seriousness of your offenses and would promote disrespect for the law," and set a reconsideration hearing in July 2024.
This is the extreme action of the same law enforcement community
that brought us the indefinite imprisonment of suspected teenage
terrorists, tortures, and killings in CIA prisons around the world
and promoted widespread disrespect for the democratic concepts of
justice upon which this country supposedly was founded. These are
the same institutions that have never treated indigenous peoples
with dignity or respect or accepted any responsibility for centuries
of intolerance and abuse.
At his parole hearing on July 28th Leonard Peltier expressed regret
and accepted responsibility for his role in the incident in which the
two FBI agents and one Native American activist died as the result
of a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Mr. Peltier emphasized
that the shootout occurred in circumstances where there literally
was a war going on between corrupt tribal leaders, supported by the
government, on the one hand, and Native American traditionalists
and young activists on the other.
He again denied -- as he as always denied -- that he intended the
deaths of anyone or that he fired the fatal shots that killed the
two agents, and he reminded the hearing officer that one of his
former co-defendants recently admitted to having fired the fatal
shots, himself.
Accordingly, it is not true that Leonard Peltier participated in "the
execution style murders of two FBI agents," as the Parole Commission asserts, and there never has been credible evidence of Mr. Peltier's responsibility for the fatal shots as the FBI continues to allege.
Moreover, given the corrupt practices of the FBI, itself, it is
entirely untrue that Leonard Peltier's parole at this juncture
will in any way "depreciate the seriousness" of his conduct and/or
"promote disrespect for the law."
We will continue to seek parole and clemency for Mr. Peltier and
to eventually bring this prolonged injustice to a prompt and fair
resolution.
Eric Seitz - Leonard Peltier Attorney
Time to set him free... Because it is the RIGHT thing to do.
Friends of Peltier
http://www.FreePeltierNow.org
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