Today is the Day - SET LEONARD FREE!
Today is the deadline for the Parole Commission to announce its decision on Leonard Peltier's parole. This could be one of the happiest days of my life. I'm scanning the news and wires and whoisleonardpeltier.info every two minutes, biting my nails to the quick, and drinking too much coffee.
Leonard is the reason I am an activist. When I first heard about his case in the early 80's, it was the first time I had ever considered that there were political prisoners in the US. Actually, POWs, because that's what Leonard is. During Dick Wilson's Reign of Terror, more than 60 native people were murdered on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and NONE of those murders was ever investigated. What happened at Pine Ridge was self-defense in a war zone. There has never been any physical evidence connecting Leonard to the crime for which he has served 33 years of his life. Leonard was set out to dry to pay for the "crimes" of an entire people. He was illegally extradited from Canada to face trial. His co-defendants were acquitted due to lack of evidence. His trial was a farce of fabricated evidence, lies and obfuscation, and outright racism.
Leonard is a grandfather and great-grandfather. He is an artist. He is a humanitarian that has been nominated for the Nobel Prize not once or twice, but 6 times. He is in failing health, losing his eyesight to diabetes.
Even if you believe Leonard is guilty, he has served his time by any reasonable person's measure and should be released immediately. Please take some time this morning to visualize him walking outside the prison gates into the loving arms of his family. If you're a praying person, pray for the Commission to be filled with wisdom and compassion. Pray for his freedom. The time is now.
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The parole examiner made a recommendation sometime following Leonard's hearing on July 28. He said he would do so within 48 hours.
The application for parole was then forwarded to the regional commissioner, who also had to review the case and make a recommendation (the same as a vote, in this instance).
The case was then forwarded to the four sitting executive commissioners in Washington (or Chevy Chase, MD, right outside of DC). The parole decision will be made by majority vote.
According to parole guidelines:
“Upon receipt of an original jurisdiction case, the National Commissioners, where feasible, shall process the case within 21 days. Cases shall be voted on sequentially.”
It isn’t known when the National Commissioners received the Peltier application for parole or when the 21-day clock began running...
Also, generally, reference by the government of “days” means business days, not calendar days.
It isn’t known how many parole applications were received prior to Peltier’s application or if a backlog exists at the U.S. Parole Commission.
It isn’t known if all four National Commissioners are available for the review and a vote at this time. It is August and, traditionally, Washington DC pretty well closes down during the entire month. Members of Congress return to their home districts for the month and they and the President generally vacation during this period. Government bureaucrats often do the same.
In other words: we do not know when the parole commission will announce its decision.
Sigh...
Els Herten
coordinator KOLA/IPF
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