Clemency for Leonard Peltier

Mr. President:

We the undersigned come together before you to request the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Leonard Peltier from Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.

Mr. Peltier was convicted for the June 26, 1975 murders of 2 FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. There were 4 defendants originally charged before the Grand Jury. Two of the defendants were tried before the court and found Not Guilty by reason of self-defense.

Charges were dropped on the 3rd defendant. Mr. Peltier was tried after a change of venue to North Dakota. In this trial Mr. Peltier wasn't able to put up a self-defense argument. Any evidence that could have proven Mr. Palters' innocence was not allowed in his trial or if it was allowed it was not allowed in front of the jury. Witness testimony wildly diverged between Grand Jury testimony and trial testimony; further, several of the witnesses recanted their
testimony after the trial, claiming perjured testimony because of threats from the FBI. Despite testimony, prosecuting attorneys have stated on several occasions that they don't know who shot the agents that day.

The FBI coerced Myrtle Poor Bear into signing three mutually exclusive affidavits in order to extradite Mr. Peltier from Canada. In Mr. Peltier's trial Ms. Poor Bear testified that she never knew Mr. Peltier, that she had never seen Mr. Peltier prior to the trial. She testified that she signed the affidavits as a result of intimidation by agents interviewing her. The jury never heard her testimony, despite the fact she had originally been scheduled as a government witness, her testimony was excluded on the basis of her "incompetence".

A few FBI officials and/or agents have launched campaigns to publicly proclaim the guilt of Mr. Peltier. Thus propitiating the original cover up through dissemination of misinformation in editorials, web sites and full page newspaper ads in what is seen as an effort to discredit the common sense and creditability of many national leaders and their organizations. These leaders have studied the case in-depth for over twenty-three years since the reign of terror on the Pine Ridge reservation and areas supposedly under the protection of this county.

Mr. President and elected officials of all people, we ask that you no longer ignore the voices of the 10's of millions of signatures and letters of the last twenty three years, and the results of the most recent polls in favor of his immediate release. We ask all politicians and officials to support true justice. Honor the voices of your constituents. Call for immediate unconditional executive clemency for Mr. Peltier.

Sincerely;