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El Laberinto, 1971-1987
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[hand drawing of face] Free all [??]] Prisoners Free Leonard Peltier The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and the American Indian Movement are organizing support toward Leonard Peltier's freedom so that hey may rejoin his people's struggle in securing a better worl for our generations yet unborn. Leonard Peltier's struggle is rooted in the history of Native Americans -- a history marked by terror, violence and genocide on the part of the United States government in its attempts to subvert the destinies of whole nations. Native people's response has been continued resistance to the conquest of land and destruction of cultural and traditional ways...a struggle for sovereignty and self-determination. On Friday, July 20, 1979, Leonard escaped from the federal penitentiary at Lompoc, California. He was serving two consecutive life sentences for "aiding and abetting" in the deaths of two FBI agents who attacked a spiritual Indian encampment on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on June 26, 1975. Along with the two agents, one Indian man, Joe Stuntz, was also killed in that firefight. As of today, there has been no investigation into his death. We are convinced that this was merely a diversionary tactic to conceal the fact that on the same day, the corrupt tribal chairman was signing away one-eighth of the reservation to the U.S. government. This land is rich in uranium deposits. The two FBI agents involved were on the reservation without jurisdiction, in violation of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 between the U.S. and Oglala Lakota Nation, as well as the Five Major Crimes Act, recognized by the U.S. government as international and federal law. It is only logical, and justifiably so, that Indian people resonded to this attack by defending themselves. The FBI issued warrants for four Native American AIM activists on the reservation, charged with "aiding and abetting" in the deaths of the two agents. Charges were later dropped against jimmy Eagle. Dino Butler and Bob Robideau were acquitted of all charges by a Cedar Rapids, Iowa jury July 16, 1976, on grounds of self-defense. Peltier, after seeking political asylum in Canada, was illegally extradicted and convicted in an extremely racist atmosphere by an all-white jury int he biased courtroom of federal judge Paul Benson in Fargo, North Dakota. During the course of the trial, evidence of FBI misconduct was brought out but ruled inadmissible, as was the fact that Peltier's co-defendants were acquitted on grounds of FBI misconduct. Peltier was convicted on circumstantial evidence. The only testimony which placed him at the scene was from an FBI special agent who stated he recognized Peltier a half mile away through is 7-power rifle scope. Later, the prosecutor characterized this testimony as "totally unbelievable." Peltier appealed appealed his conviction to the 8th Circut Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Missouri. A three-judge panel heard the appeal. One of these, William Webster, is now head of the FBI. After his nomination and before rendering a decision, Webster was replaced, and the new panel denied Peltier's appeal. Another of the judges criticized the FBI for its misconduct in Peltier's case by saying, in part, "the FBI lied from beginning to end." Peltier then requested the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case and on March 5, 1979, the request for writ of certiorari was denied. At that time, he was transferred from Marion federal prison in Illinois to Lompoc federal prison in California. [emblem] In this critical time all progressive-minded people need to stand in solidarity with the struggles of the indigenous people of America who are resisting at all levels further encroachment by the colonizing powers of the state. 4
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[hand drawing of face] Free all [??]] Prisoners Free Leonard Peltier The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and the American Indian Movement are organizing support toward Leonard Peltier's freedom so that hey may rejoin his people's struggle in securing a better worl for our generations yet unborn. Leonard Peltier's struggle is rooted in the history of Native Americans -- a history marked by terror, violence and genocide on the part of the United States government in its attempts to subvert the destinies of whole nations. Native people's response has been continued resistance to the conquest of land and destruction of cultural and traditional ways...a struggle for sovereignty and self-determination. On Friday, July 20, 1979, Leonard escaped from the federal penitentiary at Lompoc, California. He was serving two consecutive life sentences for "aiding and abetting" in the deaths of two FBI agents who attacked a spiritual Indian encampment on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on June 26, 1975. Along with the two agents, one Indian man, Joe Stuntz, was also killed in that firefight. As of today, there has been no investigation into his death. We are convinced that this was merely a diversionary tactic to conceal the fact that on the same day, the corrupt tribal chairman was signing away one-eighth of the reservation to the U.S. government. This land is rich in uranium deposits. The two FBI agents involved were on the reservation without jurisdiction, in violation of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 between the U.S. and Oglala Lakota Nation, as well as the Five Major Crimes Act, recognized by the U.S. government as international and federal law. It is only logical, and justifiably so, that Indian people resonded to this attack by defending themselves. The FBI issued warrants for four Native American AIM activists on the reservation, charged with "aiding and abetting" in the deaths of the two agents. Charges were later dropped against jimmy Eagle. Dino Butler and Bob Robideau were acquitted of all charges by a Cedar Rapids, Iowa jury July 16, 1976, on grounds of self-defense. Peltier, after seeking political asylum in Canada, was illegally extradicted and convicted in an extremely racist atmosphere by an all-white jury int he biased courtroom of federal judge Paul Benson in Fargo, North Dakota. During the course of the trial, evidence of FBI misconduct was brought out but ruled inadmissible, as was the fact that Peltier's co-defendants were acquitted on grounds of FBI misconduct. Peltier was convicted on circumstantial evidence. The only testimony which placed him at the scene was from an FBI special agent who stated he recognized Peltier a half mile away through is 7-power rifle scope. Later, the prosecutor characterized this testimony as "totally unbelievable." Peltier appealed appealed his conviction to the 8th Circut Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Missouri. A three-judge panel heard the appeal. One of these, William Webster, is now head of the FBI. After his nomination and before rendering a decision, Webster was replaced, and the new panel denied Peltier's appeal. Another of the judges criticized the FBI for its misconduct in Peltier's case by saying, in part, "the FBI lied from beginning to end." Peltier then requested the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case and on March 5, 1979, the request for writ of certiorari was denied. At that time, he was transferred from Marion federal prison in Illinois to Lompoc federal prison in California. [emblem] In this critical time all progressive-minded people need to stand in solidarity with the struggles of the indigenous people of America who are resisting at all levels further encroachment by the colonizing powers of the state. 4
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