Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

March 20, 2007

Leonard Peltier West Coast Forum

March 28, 2007: Justice for Leonard Peltier Justic for Leonard Peltier West Coast Tour Forum Featuring: Bob Robideau, Co-director of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and co-defendant in the incident at Oglala
Wednesday March 28th
Capilano College12:30pm
Ceader Theater Room 148
The Capilano Students Union and the Indigenous Rights and Action Project (IRAP) are coordinating the ‘Western Canada Justice for Leonard Peltier’ tour, featuring Rob Robideau.This tour will focus on Leonard’s case, the recent developments, and re-energizing the campaign for his freedom. There is much work being done on this issue in the US and it is our job to build the solidarity and support from people within Canada. As you know, the Canadian government collaborated with the FBI to have Leonard extradited from Canada using manufactured evidence. This case is a strong issue for people on both sides of the border.:::
West Coast Tour Dates:
Wednesday March 28th Capilano College12:30pm
Ceader Theater Room 148Thursday March 29th
University of Victoria7:00pm
Elliott Building Room 168
Friday March 30thUniversity of B.C.12:00pm
SUB Room 207
Saturday March 31st
Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Center6:00pm1607 E.Hastings:
WHO IS LEONARD PELTIER? Leonard Peltier -- a great-grandfather, artist, writer, & indigenous rights activist -- is a citizen of the Anishinabe and Dakota/Lakota Nations who has been unjustly imprisoned since 1976.A participant in the American Indian Movement, he went to assist the Oglala Lakota people on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the mid-70s where a tragic shoot-out occurred on June 26, 1975. Accused of the murder of two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Peltier fled to Canada believing he would never receive a fair trial in the United States.On February 6, 1976, Peltier was apprehended. The FBI knowingly presented the Canadian court with fraudulent affidavits, and Peltierwas returned to the U.S. for trial.Key witnesses were banned from testifying about FBI misconduct & testimony about the conditions and atmosphere on the Pine Ridge Reservation at the time of the shoot-out was severely restricted. Important evidence, such as conflicting ballistics reports, was ruled inadmissible. Still, the U.S. Prosecutor failed to produce a single witness who could identify Peltier as the shooter. Instead, the government tied a bullet casing found near the bodies of their agents to the alleged murder weapon, arguing that this gun had been the only one of its kind used during the shootout, and that it had belonged to Peltier.Later, Mr. Peltier’s attorneys uncovered, in the FBI’s own documents, that more than one weapon of the type attributed to Peltier had been present at the scene and the FBI had intentionally concealed a ballistics report that showed the shell casing could not have come from the alleged murder weapon. Other troubling information emerged: the agents undoubtedly followed a red pickup truck onto the land where the shoot-out took place, not the red and white van driven by Peltier; and compelling evidence against several other suspects existed and was concealed.At the time, however, the jury was unaware of these facts. Peltier was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life terms. He is currently imprisoned at the U.S. Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Co-organized by:Capilano Students Union - Social Justice Committee778.885.5361 - http://us.f330.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=csusjc@capcollege.bc.ca
Indigenous Rights and Actions Project -IRAP604.339.7103 - http://us.f330.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=irap_vancouver@yahoo.ca Endorsed by:Capilano - Global Stewardship ProgramCapilano - Indigenous Independant Digital Film Making Program Capilano - Department of Anthropology
=+=+=+=+=+=LPDC WEBSITE:http://www.leonardpeltier.net/IPF WEBSITEhttp://users.skynet.be/kola/index.htm andhttp://www.myspace.com/leonardpeltierisinnocent e-mail LPDC:http://us.f330.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=info@leonardpeltier.nete-mail IPF:http://us.f330.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=ipforum@skynet.be

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