Leonard Peltier beaten in jail – President Obama should free him!

24Jan09

From DemocracyNow: “Native American activist Leonard Peltier has reportedly been severely beaten shortly after his transfer to a new prison. According to Peltier’s defense committee, Peltier was attacked by other prisoners after he was put into general population. Peltier’s sister, Betty Peltier-Solano, says she believes the attack could have been encouraged by prison officials seeking to discredit Peltier as he comes up for parole. Peltier suffers from diabetes. After the attack, he was put into solitary confinement. February 6 will mark thirty-three years since Peltier’s arrest. He was convicted of killing two FBI agents during a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. Peltier has long maintained his innocence and is widely considered a political prisoner in the United States. He is currently being held at the Canaan Federal Prison in Pennsylvania.”
Yesterday a “Day of Action for Leonard Peltier” was held downtown San Francisco, while several sources are pushing President Obama to free Leonard Peltier: “Peltier has never been given a fair trial. Federal authorities have quashed or destroyed thousands of pages of evidence that might have freed Peltier decades ago. … The political involvement of the FBI is itself an issue the President must address. At very least Peltier should be freed on bail pending a new trial, with a concerted effort on the part of the new Department of Justice to unearth all suppressed evidence in this case. Leonard Peltier has languished unjustly in prison far longer than those held in Guantanamo.”. Read this “URGENT ALERT: Leonard Peltier’s Safety Is In Jeopardy!” from Leonard’s sister. More news here.

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Tags: AIM, Leonard Peltier, Native Americans