Leonard Peltier, a member of the Lakota tribe who was convicted
of murdering two FBI agents in 1977, has spent 40 of his 71 years in
federal prison. During that time, some have come to view him as an
international symbol of the mistreatment of Native Americans by the US
criminal justice system; others see him as the murderer of two FBI
agents who should continue to pay his debt to society. Recently a group
of prominent lawyers—backed by world leaders, civil rights activists,
and several members of the US Congress—have renewed efforts to win his
freedom by filing a formal appeal for clemency to the Department of
Justice and requesting that President Barack Obama intervene on
Peltier’s behalf.
In February, Martin Garbus, a well-known New York City trial lawyer and the lead attorney of the group, joined by former US Attorney Cynthia Dunne and attorney Carl S. Nadler, wrote a five-page letter to Obama urging him to grant Peltier clemency. “[T]he time has come for the interests of the law enforcement community to be balanced against principles of fundamental fairness, reconciliation, and healing,” they contended.
They also submitted a 44-page petition for clemency to the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney on behalf of Peltier, who suffers from various medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and a heart condition. All of this, the petition notes, impairs “his ability to walk, to see, and to conduct normal life activities…He is ill-equipped to cope with life in the maximum security prisons in which he has been jailed for many years.” The petition includes more than two dozen letters from supporters including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Coretta Scott King, several Native American tribes, and Amnesty International.
Read more: http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2016/05/leonard-peltier-clemency-obama-aim-wounded-knee
In February, Martin Garbus, a well-known New York City trial lawyer and the lead attorney of the group, joined by former US Attorney Cynthia Dunne and attorney Carl S. Nadler, wrote a five-page letter to Obama urging him to grant Peltier clemency. “[T]he time has come for the interests of the law enforcement community to be balanced against principles of fundamental fairness, reconciliation, and healing,” they contended.
They also submitted a 44-page petition for clemency to the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney on behalf of Peltier, who suffers from various medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and a heart condition. All of this, the petition notes, impairs “his ability to walk, to see, and to conduct normal life activities…He is ill-equipped to cope with life in the maximum security prisons in which he has been jailed for many years.” The petition includes more than two dozen letters from supporters including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Coretta Scott King, several Native American tribes, and Amnesty International.
Read more: http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2016/05/leonard-peltier-clemency-obama-aim-wounded-knee
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