ACTION ALERT - Free Leonard Peltier

Leonard Peltier is considered by many to be America's longest serving political prisoner. He’s been in prison since 1975, when the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office convicted him of murdering two FBI agents during a shootout on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. But they never had evidence that he committed a crime, and the level of misconduct that took place in his trial is deeply problematic. Prosecutors hid exculpatory evidence. The FBI threatened and coerced witnesses into lying. All of his co-defendants were acquitted on grounds of self-defense. A juror admitted she was biased against Peltier’s race on the second day of the trial but was allowed to remain on the panel.

Beyond that, his decades-long parole process has been so problematic that United Nations legal experts reviewed his case and over the summer called on President Biden to release him immediately. The working group concluded in a damning 17-page legal opinion: “Mr. Peltier continues to be detained because he is Native American.”  In a plea to President Biden last year, James Reynolds, the U.S. attorney who oversaw Peltier’s prosecution on appeal, wrote, “I write today from a position rare for a former prosecutor: to beseech you to commute the sentence of a man who I helped put behind bars.” The late Judge Gerald Heaney, who presided over Peltier’s 1986 appeal, later called for commuting his sentence, saying his trial was unjust and “a healing process must begin.”

A letter signed by Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) called on President Biden to grant clemency to Peltier. “Mr. Peltier’s continued imprisonment defies the promises of justice, and the power to exercise mercy in this case lies solely within your discretion."

To join the voices calling for the release of Leonard Peltier, you can advocate for his release on your social media channels during a Free Leonard Peltier day of action today. Here are steps to take:

• Use the White House Tribal Nations Summit agenda HERE as a reference while folks engage in today''s Tweet storm.
• The home base account for this action will be @PeltierHQ and please make sure to tag @POTUS and @WhiteHouse in every Tweet.
• Please use the following hashtags:  #FreeLeonardPeltier #LeonardPeltier #RiseUpForPeltier

Here are some sample tweets you can copy/paste:

The time for justice is now! Free elder #LeonardPeltier!

Take action:

-Sign & share: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/the-time-for-justice-is-now-ask-president-biden-to-grant-clemency-to-leonard-peltier

-Donate: https://gofundme.com/f/on-behalf-of-freedom-for-leonard-peltier?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

-Call: @WhiteHouse: (202)-456-1111

-Email: @WhiteHouse: https://whitehouse.gov/contact/

#FreeLeonardPeliter

@PeltierHQ @POTUS @VP

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Free elder Leonard Peltier! 47 years of injustice - @POTUS the world calls on you to #FreeLeonardPeltier #clemency

Learn more here: https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/leonard-peltiers-46-years-in-prison-what-else-do-you-want @IndianCountry

@PeltierHQ @VP

#HumanRights

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“It poorly serves the cause of justice to allow such a thoroughly discredited conviction to stand and to cause further pain and suffering for Mr. Peltier.” - Coretta Scott King (2000). #FreeLeonardPeltier @POTUS @VP @PeltierHQ

#LeonardPeltier #RiseUpForPeltier

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Enough is enough! #FreeLeonardPeltier NOW! @POTUS @VP #Clemency

Learn more here: https://www.instagram.com/p/ClCtYe0j8Jy/ @The_Red_Nation

#LeonardPeltier