Leonard Peltier's 46 [now 48] years in prison: ‘What else do you want?’
Former federal judge: Leonard Peltier ‘remains a casualty of this country’s cruel and lawless war against American Indians’
by Mark Trahant
Sep 29, 2022
"Leonard Peltier’s name has become a story that reflects other stories. One narrative describes Peltier as America’s longest political prisoner, serving more than 46 years in a federal maximum security prison. In that telling, Peltier has become a humanitarian and a 78-year-old Turtle Mountain elder who has been incarcerated for far too long.
"There is a long list of people, tribes and organizations that have called for Peltier’s freedom. The former prosecutor in the case. Members of Congress. #AmnestyInternational USA. Pope John Francis. The #DalaiLama. The National Congress of American Indians. Dozens of tribal nations, including Peltier’s own tribe, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. And, as of this month, the Democratic National Committee.
"That’s one version. A contrary account casts Peltier as the lead character for the crimes committed by the American Indian Movement [#AIM] during the #WoundedKnee era, including internal community violence, and he is described as a remorseless murderer.
"That last story is still promoted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on its website. But Peltier is not in prison for murder. The government could not justify a murder case, so it switched gears and today Leonard Peltier is Inmate #89637-132 serving at the United States Penitentiary, Coleman, in central Florida, on charges of 'aiding and abetting' the murder of federal officers, plus a seven-year sentence for an escape attempt.
"Indeed Peltier has already served a longer sentence than most principals in murder convictions. There is no way to look at the evidence and come away with any conclusion other than Peltier is being punished for crimes that could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
Read more:
https://ictnews.org/news/leonard-peltiers-46-years-in-prison-what-else-do-you-want