Peltier Denied Parole

Leonard Peltier was returned to the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kansas in mid-April, following successful jaw surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

On June 12, a parole hearing was held at the prison, attended by Peltier and his attorneys Carl Nadler, Jennifer Harbury, and Ramsey Clark, and representatives of the National Council of Churches, Amnesty International, the National Congress of American Indians, and the Assembly of First Nations.

Without deliberation or consideration of any of the documents presented, without responding to pleas from Amnesty International or the National Council of Churches, and with no interest shown in the eight parole plans offering Peltier housing and employment from various Native American organizations and tribes, the parole examiner recommended that Peltier's sentence be continued until his next full parole hearing in 2008. Supporters in attendance reported that the examiner wrote the denial while the presentation was still being made. The examiner's decision will be final after consideration by the U. S. parole commissioners in Washington, D.C.

For background and other information, contact the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, P.O. Box 583, Lawrence, KS 66044; (785)842-5774; lpdc@idir.net or on the net at www.freepeltier.org

With the imminent end of the Clinton administration, Peltier's supporters are asked to intensify lobbying the President to grant Peltier's petition for executive clemency (originally filed in 1993). Call the White House comment line regularly at 202-456-1111.

Letters of support can be sent to Leonard Peltier #89637-132, P.O. Box 1000, Leavenworth, KS 66048.