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LPDCUpDates and Announcements!
Thursday, April 15, 2004Media Advisory April 15, 2004 Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, PO Box 583, Lawrence, KS 66044-0583; 785/842-5774 Peltier declares Political Prisoners Week "The fact that I was convicted without any credible evidence of guilt, & that no amount of genuine evidence to the contrary, however overwhelming, seems to be enough to win my release or even a retrial much less parole after over a quarter of a century, is precisely why I am often called - no doubt to the great embarrassment of the United States government - a political prisoner. I wasn't the first. I certainly am not the last. There will always be those in power who seek to squash dissent. Now, as before, exercise of our human rights can be a dangerous act. But remaining silent & doing nothing - these are the most dangerous acts of all." Indigenous rights activist Leonard Peltier this week proclaimed April 16-24, 2004, U.S. Political Prisoners Week & encouraged people across the nation to continue the struggle for human rights. "I send greetings to the prisoners of conscience throughout this land & urge all Americans to seek the truth - in their own communities & across the country. Open your minds & hearts. Listen & learn. Act. Stand for freedom & justice for all peoples of the earth." Political prisoners events will be held in venues around the country beginning on April 16. At the Lipke Auditorium, University of Massachusetts in Boston, Set the Captives Free: A Conference on Political Prisoners in the United States will begin with a cultural edu-tainment event on Friday evening from 7:00 to 11:00 featuring musical performances by Dead Prez, The Foundation, VCR, Blackout Boston, Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo, FTP, Reflect & Strengthen, Curtis King, Simon & Wagner, & PRESENTE! Conference workshops begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 17. Speakers include: Pam Africa; Fred Hampton, Jr.; Linda Evans; Russell Shoates, III; Netdahe Williams; Rod Coronado; Mike Duan; Rawan Barakat; Kamel Bell; Michelle Morales; Soffiyah Elijah; Nancy Murray; Prof. Robert Hall; & Nalda Vigezzi. Jean Day & Marquetta Shields will speak about political prisoner Leonard Peltier. Other members of Peltier's defense committee also will be available for comment & discussion. The political prisoners conference is sponsored by the Boston Coalition to Free Political Prisoners in the U.S., Joiner Center, Jericho Movement, Mobarezeh Collective, Leonard Peltier Defense Committee & its Boston Area support group, International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal, American Friends Service Committee, & PRESENTE! On April 24, supporters worldwide will participate in events to raise awareness about political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. The day will include a major demonstration & march in Philadelphia, as well as a music/cultural resistance event in the evening, & a book release/birthday celebration for Mumia. For more details about the Philadelphia events & other events around the world for Mumia, please contact the International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal at 215-476-8812 or by e-mail at icffmaj@aol.com. Also visit: www.mumia.org. A free public forum - Freedom in America: Human Rights v. USA Patriot Act - is also being held on April 24 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Yale Law School Auditorium, 127 Wall Street, New Haven, CT. This forum, organized by the Human Rights Research Fund, will be an exciting dialogue with some of the most dynamic attorneys, scholars & social justice activists in the United States. The speakers have participated in the anti-war, civil rights, American Indian & Chicano movements; the Black Panther Party, the anti-apartheid movement & African liberation struggles; the movement to free political prisoners; the campaign against the death penalty; & other social justice issues. The focus will be on respect for human rights in the United States from a legal, historical & social perspective in light of the repressive measures enacted post 9/11. The topics of discussion will include the impact of the war on terrorism on political dissent, youth activism, police violence, indigenous rights, reparations & political imprisonment. This human rights forum is being co-sponsored by Critical Resistance-New Haven; People Against Injustice; Yale University's African American Studies Department, Afro American Cultural Center, American Studies Program, Association of Native Americans, Black Students at Yale, Provost's Office, & Student Legal Action Movement; & the Human Rights Research Fund. Posted by Webmaster@AIMSupport.org 2:19 PM 
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