Al Jazeera: Obama urged to grant clemency for Leonard Peltier

Jason Coppola calls Leonard Peltier case "a stain on the judicial system of the United States:"
"I think I can explain beyond serious doubt, that Leonard Peltier has committed no crime whatsoever," said former US Attourney General Ramsey Clark. "But that if he had been guilty of firing a gun that killed an FBI Agent, it was in defense of not just his people but the integrity of humanity from domination and exploitation."

A new effort is underway on the anniversary of Native American activist Leonard Peltier's conviction to urge President Barack Obama to grant clemency to a man Amnesty International considers to be a "political prisoner" in the United States.

This effort is spearheaded by the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee and joined by his supporters worldwide.

"We no longer have to convince the world of his innocence," Peltier attourney John Privitera told Al Jazeera at a press conference in New York City this past December. "All anyone has to do is read the judicial history of his conviction and incarceration and it is clear that there was a miscarriage of justice."

The judicial history of the Peltier case is fraught with racism, false evidence, coerced testimonies, controversy, and perjury. It is a stain on the judicial system of the United States and has attracted support for Peltier's freedom by such notable figures as Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama.

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Jason Coppola: A Sad Anniversary for Native Americans (Al Jazeera 4/18)

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