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[Nonviolenza] L'associazione "Respirare" di Viterbo aderisce all'appello "Portiamo a compimento l'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier"
- Subject: [Nonviolenza] L'associazione "Respirare" di Viterbo aderisce all'appello "Portiamo a compimento l'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier"
- From: Centro di ricerca per la pace Centro di ricerca per la pace <centropacevt at gmail.com>
- Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2023 10:50:03 +0100
L'ASSOCIAZIONE "RESPIRARE" DI VITERBO ADERISCE ALL'APPELLO "PORTIAMO A COMPIMENTO L'INIZIATIVA DI DAVID SASSOLI PER LA LIBERAZIONE DI LEONARD PELTIER"
L'associazione "Respirare" di Viterbo aderisce all'appello "Portiamo a compimento l'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier".
Leonard Peltier, l'illustre attivista nativo americano difensore dei diritti umani di tutti gli esseri umani e della Madre Terra, e' detenuto da 47 anni pur essendo innocente; anche dal carcere continua ad impegnarsi per il bene comune dei popoli nativi, dell'umanita' intera, dell'intero mondo vivente; e' un uomo ormai vecchio e malato: crediamo che sia necessario che ogni persona di volonta' buona, ogni associazione democratica, ogni istituzione intesa al bene comune, esercitino adesso il massimo impegno nonviolento per persuadere il Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America a concedere la grazia presidenziale che restituisca la liberta' a Leonard Peltier.
Ognuno faccia sentire la sua voce per la liberazione del nostro fratello Leonard Peltier.
*
Di seguito riportiamo:
a) il testo dell'appello "Portiamo a compimento l'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier";
b) l'appello di Amnesty International del 3 aprile 2023: Urge clemency for native american activist;
c) un recente appello al Presidente Biden da parte di membri del Congresso degli Stati Uniti d'America sia democratici che repubblicani per la grazia per Leonard Peltier.
*
a) Il testo dell'appello "Portiamo a compimento l'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier"
Il 23 agosto 2021 David Sassoli, l'indimenticato Presidente del Parlamento Europeo che sarebbe deceduto pochi mesi dopo nel gennaio 2022, tenne una conferenza stampa in cui annuncio' il suo personale impegno per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier, l'illustre attivista nativo americano difensore dei diritti umani di tutti gli esseri umani e dell'intero mondo vivente, da quasi mezzo secolo prigioniero innocente.
L'iniziativa di David Sassoli si ricollegava idealmente a due precedenti importanti pronunciamenti del Parlamento Europeo, del 1994 e del 1999.
E si collegava anche al movimento che in Italia in quel momento riproponeva con forza l'esigenza e l'urgenza che Leonard Peltier venisse finalmente liberato.
In un suo tweet che accompagnava e sintetizzava la conferenza stampa del 23 agosto 2021 David Sassoli dichiarava, in italiano e in inglese:
"Inviero' una lettera alle autorita' statunitensi chiedendo clemenza per Leonard Peltier, attivista per i diritti umani dell'American Indian Movement, in carcere da 45 anni.
Spero che le autorita' accolgano il mio invito. I diritti umani vanno difesi sempre, ovunque".
"I will send a letter to the US authorities asking for clemency for Leonard Peltier. A human rights activist of the American Indian Movement, he has been imprisoned for 45 years.
I hope the authorities will take up my invitation. Human rights must be defended always, everywhere".
Lanciamo un appello a riprendere e portare a compimento quell'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier.
Chiediamo a chi legge questo appello:
a) di aderirvi, inviandone notizia agli indirizzi e-mail: freepeltierviterbo at tiscali.it e centropacevt at gmail.com
b) di diffonderlo ulteriormente;
c) di scrivere direttamente al Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America per chiedere la grazia presidenziale che restituisca la liberta' a Leonard Peltier: le lettere (il cui testo puo' anche essere semplicemente "Free Leonard Peltier") possono essere inviate attraverso la pagina web dedicata del sito della Presidenza degli Stati Uniti d'America: www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
d) di promuovere ove possibile iniziative di informazione, coscientizzazione, mobilitazione democratica e nonviolenta per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier che lo scorso 12 settembre ha compiuto 79 anni di cui 47 trascorsi in prigione da vittima innocente di una scellerata persecuzione.
Per un'informazione essenziale:
- Edda Scozza, Il coraggio d'essere indiano. Leonard Peltier prigioniero degli Stati Uniti, Erre Emme, Pomezia (Roma) 1996 (ora Roberto Massari Editore, Bolsena Vt).
- Peter Matthiessen, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, 1980, Penguin Books, New York 1992 e successive ristampe; in edizione italiana: Peter Matthiessen, Nello spirito di Cavallo Pazzo, Frassinelli, Milano 1994.
- Leonard Peltier (con la collaborazione di Harvey Arden), Prison writings. My life is my sun dance, St. Martin's Griffin, New York 1999; in edizione italiana: Leonard Peltier, La mia danza del sole. Scritti dalla prigione, Fazi, Roma 2005.
- Jim Messerschmidt, The Trial of Leonard Peltier, South End Press, Cambridge, MA, 1983, 1989, 2002.
- Bruce E. Johansen, Encyclopedia of the American Indian Movement, Greenwood, Santa Barbara - Denver - Oxford, 2013 e piu' volte ristampata.
Nella rete telematica e' disponibile una notizia sintetica in italiano dal titolo "Alcune parole per Leonard Peltier".
Sempre nella rete telematica e' disponibile anche una piu' ampia ed approfondita bibliografia ragionata dal titolo "Dieci libri piu' uno che sarebbe bene aver letto per conoscere la vicenda di Leonard Peltier (e qualche altro minimo suggerimento bibliografico)".
Ulteriori materiali di documentazione possono essere richiesti scrivendo ai nostri indirizzi di posta elettronica: freepeltierviterbo at tiscali.it e centropacevt at gmail.com
*
b) L'appello di Amnesty International del 3 aprile 2023: Urge clemency for native american activist
3 April 2023
URGENT ACTION
URGE CLEMENCY FOR NATIVE AMERICAN ACTIVIST
Native American activist Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned in the USA for over 46 years, some of which was spent in solitary confinement, serving two life sentences for murder despite concerns over the fairness of his trial. He has always maintained his innocence. Now 78 years old, he contracted COVID-19 in 2022 and suffers from several chronic health ailments, including one that is potentially fatal. Not eligible for parole again until 2024, his lawyers submitted a new petition for clemency in 2021. President Biden must grant Leonard Peltier clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice.
TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
USA
White House Comment line: (202) 456-1111
Webform*: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
* A US-based address is needed for the White House webform.
International action takers, please use AI USA's address when filling out:
Amnesty International USA
311 West 43rd St. 7th Floor,
New York, NY 10036 USA
Dear President Biden,
Leonard Peltier is a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), which promotes Native American rights. In 1975, during a confrontation involving AIM members, two FBI agents were killed. Leonard Peltier was convicted of their murders but has always denied killing the agents.
There are serious concerns about the fairness of proceedings leading to his trial and conviction, including for example the prosecution's withholding of evidence that might have assisted Leonard Peltier's defence.
In light of these concerns, the former US Attorney who supervised the prosecution team post-trial, James Reynolds, has since called for clemency.
Leonard Peltier is now 78 years old, has spent more than 46 years in US prisons, and has been repeatedly denied parole. There are serious concerns about Leonard Peltier's deteriorating health, including potential re-exposure to COVID-19. His lawyers submitted a new petition for clemency in 2021.
I urge you to grant Leonard Peltier clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice.
Yours sincerely,
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Leonard Peltier, an Anishinaabe-Lakota Native American, was a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), which promotes Native American rights. On 26 June 1975, during a confrontation involving AIM members on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota, FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler were shot dead. Leonard Peltier was convicted of their murders in 1977 and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Leonard Peltier has always denied killing the agents.
A key alleged eyewitness to the shootings was Myrtle Poor Bear, a Lakota Native woman who lived at Pine Ridge. Based on her statement that she saw Leonard Peltier kill both FBI agents, Leonard Peltier was extradited from Canada, where he had fled following the shootings. However, Myrtle Poor Bear later retracted her testimony. Although not called as a prosecution witness at trial, the trial judge refused to allow Leonard Peltier's attorneys to call Myrtle Poor Bear as a defense witness on the grounds that her testimony "could be highly prejudicial to the government". In 2000, Myrtle Poor Bear issued a public statement to say that her original testimony was a result of months of threats and harassment from FBI agents.
In 1980 documents were released to Leonard Peltier's lawyers as a result of a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents contained ballistics evidence which might have assisted Leonard Peltier's case, but which had been withheld by the prosecution at trial. However, in 1986, the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Eighth Circuit denied Leonard Peltier a retrial, stating that: "We recognize that there is some evidence in this record of improper conduct on the part of some FBI agents, but we are reluctant to impute even further improprieties to them."
The U.S. Parole Commission has always denied parole to Leonard Peltier on the grounds that he did not accept criminal responsibility for the murders of the two FBI agents. This is even though, after one such hearing, the Commission acknowledged that, "the prosecution has conceded the lack of any direct evidence that you personally participated in the executions of two FBI agents". Leonard Peltier would not be eligible for another parole hearing until 2024. Furthermore, James H. Reynolds, the US Attorney whose office handled the criminal case prosecution and appeal of Leonard Peltier, wrote that he supported clemency "in the best interest of Justice in considering the totality of all matters involved."
Leonard Peltier suffers from a variety of ailments, including kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, a heart condition, a degenerative joint disease, and constant shortness of breath and dizziness. A stroke in 1986 left him virtually blind in one eye. In January 2016, doctors diagnosed him with a life-threatening condition: a large and potentially fatal abdominal aortic aneurysm that could rupture at any time and would result in his death. He currently uses a walker due to limited mobility and contracted COVID-19 in 2022. He continues to be at risk of re-infection while in detention.
In 2015, several Nobel Peace Prize winners—including Archbishop Desmond Tutu—called for Leonard Peltier's release. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the National Congress of American Indians have also called for his release. Leonard Peltier's attorney applied for clemency to President Biden in July 2021. President Biden committed to granting clemency on a rolling basis during his administration.
However, as of February 2023, no decision has been made on his application. He has previously sought clemency, most recently from President Obama in 2016, but his petition has been denied each time.
Due to the numerous issues at trial, the exhaustion of all his legal avenues for appeal, the amount of time he has already served, his continued maintenance of innocence along with his chronic health issues, Amnesty International supports calls for clemency for Leonard Peltier.
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: English
You can also write in your own language.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE...
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.
NAME AND PRONOUN: Leonard Peltier - He/Him
LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr51/5208/2022/en/
*
c) Un recente appello al Presidentre Biden da parte di membri del Congresso degli Stati Uniti d'America sia democratici che repubblicani per la grazia per Leonard Peltier
October 6, 2023
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden:
We are writing to you regarding the nearly five-decade imprisonment of Leonard Peltier. Now, more than ever, bedrock principles of justice warrant your consideration of a grant of executive clemency or support of compassionate release at the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist and citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (ND), is now in his 48th year of incarceration. He is 79 years old and in failing health. Mr. Peltier is serving two life sentences in a maximum-security federal prison for aiding and abetting in a case where his co-defendants were found not guilty on the grounds of self-defense.
Over the course of his incarceration, particularly in recent years, key figures involved in Mr. Peltier's prosecution have stepped forward to underscore the constitutional violations and prosecutorial misconduct that took place during the investigation and trial that led to his conviction. Gerald Heaney, the judge who presided over Mr. Peltier's 1986 appeal in the Eighth Circuit, called for his release in 1991 and again in 2000 (1), and former United States AttorneyJames Reynolds, whose office handled the prosecution and appeal of Peltier's case, has called for a commute of the remainder of his sentence and observed that "his conviction and continued incarceration is a testament to a time and a system of justice that no longer has a place in our society." (2) In addition, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention specifically noted the anti-Indigenous bias surrounding Peltier's detention, stating simply that he "continues to be detained because he is Native American." (3)
Retired FBI Special Agent Coleen Rowley, in her letter addressed to you on December 3, 2022, raised how the "long-standing horribly wrongful oppressive treatment of Indians in the U.S." played into Peltier's case and, critically, the "FBI Family vendetta" behind the agency's opposition to clemency. (4) We recognize the grief and loss that took place in both the FBI and Tribal community on that day but also recognize this opportunity for all to move forward.
As Members of Congress, we sign this letter with a deep commitment to the crucial role we play in upholding justice for all Americans - and to also hold our government accountable when we see a case of injustice, as demonstrated by the long incarceration of Leonard Peltier. We stand with the Tribal Nations of the United States, Indigenous voices worldwide, and leading voices on human rights and criminal justice around the globe in support of Mr. Peltier's release. We applaud your commitment to criminal justice reform and your administration's work to address inequities in the criminal justice system and rectify the past wrongs of our government's treatment of Native Americans. We urge you to take the next step by granting Mr. Peltier executive clemency or compassionate release.
Sincerely,
Seguono le firme di 33 membri del Congresso degli Stati Uniti d'America
Note
1. Gerald H. Heaney, U.S. Senior Cir. Judge, 8th Cir., Letter to Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Chairman, U.S. Senate Select Comm. on Indian Affairs (Apr. 18, 1991), http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/download/Heaney.pdf
2. James Reynolds, Former U.S. Attorney, Letter to President Joseph R. Biden (Jul. 9, 2021), https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/From-US-Attorney-James-Reynolds.pdf.
3. United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Opinion No. 7/2022 concerning Leonard Peltier (United States of America) (Jun. 7, 2022), https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-06/A-HRC-WGAD-7-2022-USA-AEV.pdf
4. Coleen Rowley, Retired FBI Special Agent, Letter to President Joseph R. Biden (Dec. 3, 2022), https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/From-Retired-FBI-Special-Agent-Coleen-Rowley.pdf
*
Giustizia e liberta' per Leonard Peltier.
Giustizia e liberta' per l'umanita' intera.
Salvare le vite e' il primo dovere.
Free Leonard Peltier.
Mitakuye Oyasin.
L'associazione "Respirare" di Viterbo
Viterbo, 8 novembre 2023
L'associazione "Respirare" di Viterbo ha sede presso il "Centro di ricerca per la pace, i diritti umani e la difesa della biosfera", strada S. Barbara 9/E, 01100 Viterbo, e-mail: centropacevt at gmail.com
L'associazione e' stata promossa nel 2009 a Viterbo da associazioni e movimenti ecopacifisti e nonviolenti, per il diritto alla salute e la difesa dell'ambiente.
* * *
L'associazione "Respirare" di Viterbo aderisce all'appello "Portiamo a compimento l'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier".
Leonard Peltier, l'illustre attivista nativo americano difensore dei diritti umani di tutti gli esseri umani e della Madre Terra, e' detenuto da 47 anni pur essendo innocente; anche dal carcere continua ad impegnarsi per il bene comune dei popoli nativi, dell'umanita' intera, dell'intero mondo vivente; e' un uomo ormai vecchio e malato: crediamo che sia necessario che ogni persona di volonta' buona, ogni associazione democratica, ogni istituzione intesa al bene comune, esercitino adesso il massimo impegno nonviolento per persuadere il Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America a concedere la grazia presidenziale che restituisca la liberta' a Leonard Peltier.
Ognuno faccia sentire la sua voce per la liberazione del nostro fratello Leonard Peltier.
*
Di seguito riportiamo:
a) il testo dell'appello "Portiamo a compimento l'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier";
b) l'appello di Amnesty International del 3 aprile 2023: Urge clemency for native american activist;
c) un recente appello al Presidente Biden da parte di membri del Congresso degli Stati Uniti d'America sia democratici che repubblicani per la grazia per Leonard Peltier.
*
a) Il testo dell'appello "Portiamo a compimento l'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier"
Il 23 agosto 2021 David Sassoli, l'indimenticato Presidente del Parlamento Europeo che sarebbe deceduto pochi mesi dopo nel gennaio 2022, tenne una conferenza stampa in cui annuncio' il suo personale impegno per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier, l'illustre attivista nativo americano difensore dei diritti umani di tutti gli esseri umani e dell'intero mondo vivente, da quasi mezzo secolo prigioniero innocente.
L'iniziativa di David Sassoli si ricollegava idealmente a due precedenti importanti pronunciamenti del Parlamento Europeo, del 1994 e del 1999.
E si collegava anche al movimento che in Italia in quel momento riproponeva con forza l'esigenza e l'urgenza che Leonard Peltier venisse finalmente liberato.
In un suo tweet che accompagnava e sintetizzava la conferenza stampa del 23 agosto 2021 David Sassoli dichiarava, in italiano e in inglese:
"Inviero' una lettera alle autorita' statunitensi chiedendo clemenza per Leonard Peltier, attivista per i diritti umani dell'American Indian Movement, in carcere da 45 anni.
Spero che le autorita' accolgano il mio invito. I diritti umani vanno difesi sempre, ovunque".
"I will send a letter to the US authorities asking for clemency for Leonard Peltier. A human rights activist of the American Indian Movement, he has been imprisoned for 45 years.
I hope the authorities will take up my invitation. Human rights must be defended always, everywhere".
Lanciamo un appello a riprendere e portare a compimento quell'iniziativa di David Sassoli per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier.
Chiediamo a chi legge questo appello:
a) di aderirvi, inviandone notizia agli indirizzi e-mail: freepeltierviterbo at tiscali.it e centropacevt at gmail.com
b) di diffonderlo ulteriormente;
c) di scrivere direttamente al Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America per chiedere la grazia presidenziale che restituisca la liberta' a Leonard Peltier: le lettere (il cui testo puo' anche essere semplicemente "Free Leonard Peltier") possono essere inviate attraverso la pagina web dedicata del sito della Presidenza degli Stati Uniti d'America: www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
d) di promuovere ove possibile iniziative di informazione, coscientizzazione, mobilitazione democratica e nonviolenta per la liberazione di Leonard Peltier che lo scorso 12 settembre ha compiuto 79 anni di cui 47 trascorsi in prigione da vittima innocente di una scellerata persecuzione.
Per un'informazione essenziale:
- Edda Scozza, Il coraggio d'essere indiano. Leonard Peltier prigioniero degli Stati Uniti, Erre Emme, Pomezia (Roma) 1996 (ora Roberto Massari Editore, Bolsena Vt).
- Peter Matthiessen, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, 1980, Penguin Books, New York 1992 e successive ristampe; in edizione italiana: Peter Matthiessen, Nello spirito di Cavallo Pazzo, Frassinelli, Milano 1994.
- Leonard Peltier (con la collaborazione di Harvey Arden), Prison writings. My life is my sun dance, St. Martin's Griffin, New York 1999; in edizione italiana: Leonard Peltier, La mia danza del sole. Scritti dalla prigione, Fazi, Roma 2005.
- Jim Messerschmidt, The Trial of Leonard Peltier, South End Press, Cambridge, MA, 1983, 1989, 2002.
- Bruce E. Johansen, Encyclopedia of the American Indian Movement, Greenwood, Santa Barbara - Denver - Oxford, 2013 e piu' volte ristampata.
Nella rete telematica e' disponibile una notizia sintetica in italiano dal titolo "Alcune parole per Leonard Peltier".
Sempre nella rete telematica e' disponibile anche una piu' ampia ed approfondita bibliografia ragionata dal titolo "Dieci libri piu' uno che sarebbe bene aver letto per conoscere la vicenda di Leonard Peltier (e qualche altro minimo suggerimento bibliografico)".
Ulteriori materiali di documentazione possono essere richiesti scrivendo ai nostri indirizzi di posta elettronica: freepeltierviterbo at tiscali.it e centropacevt at gmail.com
*
b) L'appello di Amnesty International del 3 aprile 2023: Urge clemency for native american activist
3 April 2023
URGENT ACTION
URGE CLEMENCY FOR NATIVE AMERICAN ACTIVIST
Native American activist Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned in the USA for over 46 years, some of which was spent in solitary confinement, serving two life sentences for murder despite concerns over the fairness of his trial. He has always maintained his innocence. Now 78 years old, he contracted COVID-19 in 2022 and suffers from several chronic health ailments, including one that is potentially fatal. Not eligible for parole again until 2024, his lawyers submitted a new petition for clemency in 2021. President Biden must grant Leonard Peltier clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice.
TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
USA
White House Comment line: (202) 456-1111
Webform*: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
* A US-based address is needed for the White House webform.
International action takers, please use AI USA's address when filling out:
Amnesty International USA
311 West 43rd St. 7th Floor,
New York, NY 10036 USA
Dear President Biden,
Leonard Peltier is a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), which promotes Native American rights. In 1975, during a confrontation involving AIM members, two FBI agents were killed. Leonard Peltier was convicted of their murders but has always denied killing the agents.
There are serious concerns about the fairness of proceedings leading to his trial and conviction, including for example the prosecution's withholding of evidence that might have assisted Leonard Peltier's defence.
In light of these concerns, the former US Attorney who supervised the prosecution team post-trial, James Reynolds, has since called for clemency.
Leonard Peltier is now 78 years old, has spent more than 46 years in US prisons, and has been repeatedly denied parole. There are serious concerns about Leonard Peltier's deteriorating health, including potential re-exposure to COVID-19. His lawyers submitted a new petition for clemency in 2021.
I urge you to grant Leonard Peltier clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice.
Yours sincerely,
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Leonard Peltier, an Anishinaabe-Lakota Native American, was a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), which promotes Native American rights. On 26 June 1975, during a confrontation involving AIM members on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota, FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler were shot dead. Leonard Peltier was convicted of their murders in 1977 and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Leonard Peltier has always denied killing the agents.
A key alleged eyewitness to the shootings was Myrtle Poor Bear, a Lakota Native woman who lived at Pine Ridge. Based on her statement that she saw Leonard Peltier kill both FBI agents, Leonard Peltier was extradited from Canada, where he had fled following the shootings. However, Myrtle Poor Bear later retracted her testimony. Although not called as a prosecution witness at trial, the trial judge refused to allow Leonard Peltier's attorneys to call Myrtle Poor Bear as a defense witness on the grounds that her testimony "could be highly prejudicial to the government". In 2000, Myrtle Poor Bear issued a public statement to say that her original testimony was a result of months of threats and harassment from FBI agents.
In 1980 documents were released to Leonard Peltier's lawyers as a result of a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents contained ballistics evidence which might have assisted Leonard Peltier's case, but which had been withheld by the prosecution at trial. However, in 1986, the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Eighth Circuit denied Leonard Peltier a retrial, stating that: "We recognize that there is some evidence in this record of improper conduct on the part of some FBI agents, but we are reluctant to impute even further improprieties to them."
The U.S. Parole Commission has always denied parole to Leonard Peltier on the grounds that he did not accept criminal responsibility for the murders of the two FBI agents. This is even though, after one such hearing, the Commission acknowledged that, "the prosecution has conceded the lack of any direct evidence that you personally participated in the executions of two FBI agents". Leonard Peltier would not be eligible for another parole hearing until 2024. Furthermore, James H. Reynolds, the US Attorney whose office handled the criminal case prosecution and appeal of Leonard Peltier, wrote that he supported clemency "in the best interest of Justice in considering the totality of all matters involved."
Leonard Peltier suffers from a variety of ailments, including kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, a heart condition, a degenerative joint disease, and constant shortness of breath and dizziness. A stroke in 1986 left him virtually blind in one eye. In January 2016, doctors diagnosed him with a life-threatening condition: a large and potentially fatal abdominal aortic aneurysm that could rupture at any time and would result in his death. He currently uses a walker due to limited mobility and contracted COVID-19 in 2022. He continues to be at risk of re-infection while in detention.
In 2015, several Nobel Peace Prize winners—including Archbishop Desmond Tutu—called for Leonard Peltier's release. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the National Congress of American Indians have also called for his release. Leonard Peltier's attorney applied for clemency to President Biden in July 2021. President Biden committed to granting clemency on a rolling basis during his administration.
However, as of February 2023, no decision has been made on his application. He has previously sought clemency, most recently from President Obama in 2016, but his petition has been denied each time.
Due to the numerous issues at trial, the exhaustion of all his legal avenues for appeal, the amount of time he has already served, his continued maintenance of innocence along with his chronic health issues, Amnesty International supports calls for clemency for Leonard Peltier.
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: English
You can also write in your own language.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE...
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.
NAME AND PRONOUN: Leonard Peltier - He/Him
LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr51/5208/2022/en/
*
c) Un recente appello al Presidentre Biden da parte di membri del Congresso degli Stati Uniti d'America sia democratici che repubblicani per la grazia per Leonard Peltier
October 6, 2023
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden:
We are writing to you regarding the nearly five-decade imprisonment of Leonard Peltier. Now, more than ever, bedrock principles of justice warrant your consideration of a grant of executive clemency or support of compassionate release at the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist and citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (ND), is now in his 48th year of incarceration. He is 79 years old and in failing health. Mr. Peltier is serving two life sentences in a maximum-security federal prison for aiding and abetting in a case where his co-defendants were found not guilty on the grounds of self-defense.
Over the course of his incarceration, particularly in recent years, key figures involved in Mr. Peltier's prosecution have stepped forward to underscore the constitutional violations and prosecutorial misconduct that took place during the investigation and trial that led to his conviction. Gerald Heaney, the judge who presided over Mr. Peltier's 1986 appeal in the Eighth Circuit, called for his release in 1991 and again in 2000 (1), and former United States AttorneyJames Reynolds, whose office handled the prosecution and appeal of Peltier's case, has called for a commute of the remainder of his sentence and observed that "his conviction and continued incarceration is a testament to a time and a system of justice that no longer has a place in our society." (2) In addition, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention specifically noted the anti-Indigenous bias surrounding Peltier's detention, stating simply that he "continues to be detained because he is Native American." (3)
Retired FBI Special Agent Coleen Rowley, in her letter addressed to you on December 3, 2022, raised how the "long-standing horribly wrongful oppressive treatment of Indians in the U.S." played into Peltier's case and, critically, the "FBI Family vendetta" behind the agency's opposition to clemency. (4) We recognize the grief and loss that took place in both the FBI and Tribal community on that day but also recognize this opportunity for all to move forward.
As Members of Congress, we sign this letter with a deep commitment to the crucial role we play in upholding justice for all Americans - and to also hold our government accountable when we see a case of injustice, as demonstrated by the long incarceration of Leonard Peltier. We stand with the Tribal Nations of the United States, Indigenous voices worldwide, and leading voices on human rights and criminal justice around the globe in support of Mr. Peltier's release. We applaud your commitment to criminal justice reform and your administration's work to address inequities in the criminal justice system and rectify the past wrongs of our government's treatment of Native Americans. We urge you to take the next step by granting Mr. Peltier executive clemency or compassionate release.
Sincerely,
Seguono le firme di 33 membri del Congresso degli Stati Uniti d'America
Note
1. Gerald H. Heaney, U.S. Senior Cir. Judge, 8th Cir., Letter to Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Chairman, U.S. Senate Select Comm. on Indian Affairs (Apr. 18, 1991), http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/download/Heaney.pdf
2. James Reynolds, Former U.S. Attorney, Letter to President Joseph R. Biden (Jul. 9, 2021), https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/From-US-Attorney-James-Reynolds.pdf.
3. United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Opinion No. 7/2022 concerning Leonard Peltier (United States of America) (Jun. 7, 2022), https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-06/A-HRC-WGAD-7-2022-USA-AEV.pdf
4. Coleen Rowley, Retired FBI Special Agent, Letter to President Joseph R. Biden (Dec. 3, 2022), https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/From-Retired-FBI-Special-Agent-Coleen-Rowley.pdf
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Giustizia e liberta' per Leonard Peltier.
Giustizia e liberta' per l'umanita' intera.
Salvare le vite e' il primo dovere.
Free Leonard Peltier.
Mitakuye Oyasin.
L'associazione "Respirare" di Viterbo
Viterbo, 8 novembre 2023
L'associazione "Respirare" di Viterbo ha sede presso il "Centro di ricerca per la pace, i diritti umani e la difesa della biosfera", strada S. Barbara 9/E, 01100 Viterbo, e-mail: centropacevt at gmail.com
L'associazione e' stata promossa nel 2009 a Viterbo da associazioni e movimenti ecopacifisti e nonviolenti, per il diritto alla salute e la difesa dell'ambiente.
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