Article by Mike Tishio, Standard Journal, Lewisburg Pennsylvania

To: Leonard Peltier Supporters

From: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee

Subject: Article by Mike Tishio, Standard Journal, Lewisburg Pennsylvania

by Mike Tischio
Staff writer

LEWISBURG - Leonard Peltier, 62, a Native American activist, is incarcerated at the U.S. Penitentiary in Lewisburg serving two consecutive life sentences for murder. Two FBI agents, Ronald A. Williams and Jack R. Coler died in a shoot-out, and three men were tried, with Peltier being the only one convicted.

On Saturday at the Lewisburg Hotel, Peltier attorneys and defense team sat down with several guests to detail their side of the story. CO-Director of the defense team, Robert Robideau, spoke about what he termed an "FBI conspiracy" and an ongoing strategy to keep Peltier imprisoned forever. Robideau never said Peltier didn't shoot anyone, but he did say that the FBI's version of the events that day is a lie. Robideau's proof - he was there.
In 1975, on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Peltier was one of a group of Native Americans, and American Indian Movement (AIM) members at the Jumping Bull Ranch within the reservation. Following the incident Peltier, Robideau and Darelle "Dino" Butler were all tried for the killing of the FBI agents. Robideau and Butler were tried in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and found not-guilty
by a federal jury.

Peltier, who fled to Canada, was extradited but arrived too late to be tried with Butler and Robideau. A United State District Court in Fargo, North Dakota found Peltier guilty of the murders of Williams and Coler. Robideau and the Peltier defense team contend that from the extradition on through Peltier's trial and all his appeals, the FBI manipulated the trial location,
withheld evidence and badgered witnesses into giving false testimony.

Barry Bachrach, attorney for Peltier along with Michael Kuzma, said the plot against Peltier was summed up by a parole officer at a hearing in 1995. Bachrach claimed the parole board member said that "someone has to be responsible for the (FBI) deaths, and you've been held liable." Bachrach and Kuzma added that to date, no solid evidence has ever directly connected
Peltier to either death.

Robideau spoke of an agency, the FBI, that regularly abused its power and authority all the while trampling the rights of U.S. citizens, who happened to be members of various dissident groups. "No one should be in prison for Williams or Coler's deaths," said Robideau. "It was like a war zone that day; many FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and local police officers were
shooting at the people in the ranch, and they shot back."

Kuzma pointed out that both the 8th and 10th Circuit Court of Appeals found problems with the government's case against Peltier. "There is much evidence in this record of improper conduct on the part of some FBI agents," from a ruling by the 8th Circuit Court in 1986. "Much of the governments behavior at the Pine Ridge Reservation and in its prosecution of Mr. Peltier is to be condemned. The government withheld evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed," from a ruling by the 10th Circuit Court in 2003.

Despite it all, Peltier remains in prison. As it stands now, two additional suits against the FBI are being filed on behalf of Peltier, according to Kuzma. They will be argued this December. Peltier's defense is continuing to push for files on the case to be released. "They have withheld over 140,000 files over the years, and now the government claims that to release the remaining evidence would put our country at risk from trans-national terrorists," said Kuzma.
If the case gets to trial in December, the U.S. Penitentiary at Lewisburg, as well as the entire community could get national attention from an incident that occurred about 2,000 miles to the west, and over thirty years ago.
Mike Tischio
Standard Journal/ Lewisburg Pennsylvania