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LPDCUpDates and Announcements!
Thursday, December 16, 2004Lawyers for Peltier Say Sentence Illegal By DAVE KOLPACK .c The Associated Press FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Lawyers for imprisoned American Indian activist Leonard Peltier say the government did not have the right to try him for crimes that occurred on a South Dakota reservation. Peltier, 60, is serving life in prison for the killing of two FBI agents during a 1975 standoff on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He was convicted in 1977. In a motion filed Wednesday in federal court, Peltier's lawyers claim the sentence is illegal and he should be released from federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan. ``The federal jurisdiction ... under which my client was convicted and sentenced depended on the location of the alleged crime, not against whom the crime was allegedly committed,'' attorney Barry Bachrach said in a statement issued after the motion was filed. Because the crimes were committed on the reservation, the federal court had no jurisdiction, he said. It is one of several appeals in the 30-year-old case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Crooks said a similar claim was denied by a federal appeals court two years ago. ``This one has a little different twist, but I doubt the analysis is going to be different,'' Crooks said Wednesday. Peltier was convicted of killing Ronald Williams and Jack Coler during a standoff on the reservation. The agents were shot in the head at close range and their bodies were left on a dirt road. Supporters have said Peltier was treated unfairly because of his political activism. Posted by Webmaster@AIMSupport.org 1:52 AM  Leavenworth Warden restricting Native American Spiritual Ceremony - Please write From the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Headquarters--Per Leonard The warden at Leavenworth Penitentiary, where Leonard Peltier is held, has imposed new restrictions on the religious ceremonies of Native American prisoners. Until recently, Leonard and other prisoners have been permitted 8 hours per week for inipi (sweat ceremony). The warden has decreed that they are from now on allowed only 4 hours per week. This infringement is both illegal and unconstitutional. The administration is claiming that the wood supply for the fires used during the ceremony is depleted and thus needs to be rationed. Reports from inside various prisons have asserted that the wood supplied for this ceremony is usually scrap, regardless of supply. The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee is asking that supporters call or write to Warden EJ Gallegos and demand that Leonard and the other prisoners be allowed their legally protected ceremonial time. In addition, we ask supporters to call Kansas Representative Dennis Moore and request an investigation of the wood supply in order to challenge the excuse offered by the administration. To donate wood for prisoner ceremonial use, please contact the LPDC directly to make arrangements. We appreciate your support of Leonard Peltier! Warden EJ Gallegos PO Box 1000 Leavenworth, KS 66048 (913) 682-8700 Representative Dennis Moore 647 Massachusetts St., #212 Lawrence, KS 66044 (785) 842-9313 Leonard Peltier Defense Committee PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044-0583 (784)842-5774 (Please send copies of your letters to the LPDC either by email or regular mail so they can get an idea of the support out there and let Leonard and the Brothers know that they are very much in our thoughts.) Posted by Webmaster@AIMSupport.org 3:25 PM
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