NEW   PELTIER JUSTICE   CAMPAIGN

Key to the strategy is sustaining and building on the high level of public awareness and support that was generated during the clemency campaign. From this base, the campaign will coordinate massive mobilizations around each court hearing related to three important cases underway: a civil rights case, which if won could ban the FBI and prosecutors from making false statements and obstructing Peltier's avenues for release, as happened during the clemency campaign; a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking thousands of pages of FBI documents still withheld from Peltier's defense; and a motion, filed November 2, seeking reduction of Peltier's sentence to concurrent rather than consecutive life terms.

The motion for reduction of sentence argues that the judge who originally sentenced Peltier was misled to believe that Peltier himself shot the agents, and that the sentences meted out were therefore grossly disproportionate and unfair. It was only on appeal, after being forced to reveal ballistics evidence withheld from the defense at the time of the trial, that the government admitted it "can't prove who shot those agents."

The Defense committee recently wrote: "We understand how difficult it can be to have faith in the courts after they have already denied justice so blatantly in the past. However, we must remember that the case of Leonard Peltier is a political one, representing both an embarrassment and a source of vengeance for the FBI. Therefore, any avenue we take to try and gain Leonard Peltier's release will be tainted by what the case represents. And as always, the hope lies not in the courts or Congress, but in the people's willingness to work and organize to ensure that this injustice does not continue."

The Defense Committee believes that "intensive public pressure is key to succeeding in the courts." Now, with the filing of the motion for reduction of sentence, supporters are asked to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives and request that they urge the Department of Justice not to oppose the motion for reduction of sentence. You can call the Washington office of your representative via the Capitol Switchboard, (202)224-3121, or contact their local office. For more information, including specific talking points for such a call, contact the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, POB 583, Lawrence, KS 66044, (785)842-5774, email: lpdc@idir.net, web: www.freepeltier.org.

Financial support for these legal actions and the mobilization of increasing public support is also needed.