Friday, February 17, 2006

Urgent- Call to Action!-Please Write or Fax Letters!

From: THE LEONARD PELTIER DEFENSE COMMITTEE
To: LEONARD PELTIER SUPPORTERS
Subject: CALL TO ACTION PLEASE WRITE OR FAX LETTERS!
For Immediate Release - Please distribute!

Dear Supporters,
The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee recently returned from St. Louis,Missouri where we attended a court hearing regarding Leonard Peltier's illegal sentencing. We will be sending an update on the court hearing soon. At this time we are asking supporters to Write or Fax letters of support for Leonard Peltier. We are enclosing a sample letter and are encouraging you to use the sample letter in your fax or letters to the Courthouse. (Please see sample letter) We are also providing you with the mailing and fax information and Case Number. Thank you!
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee

Call to Action !Please WRITE or FAX letters to :
Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse
111 South 10th Street St. Louis MO - 63102
FAX # 314-244-2605FAX- 314-244-2635 Automation



Sample Letter :

Reference: Leonard Peltier Case # 05-3194
To :Honorable Judges:
George Fagg
Morris Arnold
Roger Wollman

A hearing was held on February 13, 2006 to correct the illegal sentencing that occurred in Leonard Peltier's case. The basis for this motion is that the United States District Court lacked subject matter jurisdiction under the statutes upon which Mr. Peltier was convicted and sentenced. The history of the constitution, and the statues implicated, unequivocally establish that Mr. Peltier was not convicted under the Indian Crimes Act, which is the only possible authority under which the government could have tried and convicted Mr. Peltier. Leonard Peltier is a citizen of the Anishinabe and Dakota/Lakota Nations who has been unjustly imprisoned since 1976. To many Indigenous Peoples, Leonard Peltier is a symbol of the long history of abuse and repression they have endured. Following a trial in which many documents were withheld by the prosecution from defense attorneys, witness intimidation, false testimony,and other irregularities, Mr. Peltier was tried and convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the deaths of two FBI agents, which occurred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on June 26, 1975. Mr. Peltier was convicted on a two-count indictment for first-degree murder, even though the acts at issue all occurred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In a 2003 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit stated that the behavior of the government in its prosecution of Mr. Peltier should be condemned. This year marks the 30th year of Mr. Peltier's unjust imprisonment.

I respectfully request that you keep the aforementioned facts in mind when rendering a decision in Mr. Peltier's case.

Thank you for your kind consideration in this matter.

Signature : Printed Name: