Sunday, August 14, 2005
FREE LEONARD PELTIER AND ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS
Copied and pasted from LPDC website:http://lpdcinc.blogspot.com/2005/08/update-from-leonard-peltier.html
*UPDATE FROM LEONARD PELTIER
*July 30, 2005
Aho my relations,As I sit here in my solitary confinement cell at USP Terre Haute, and reflect over the past month’s events, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for each and every one of you who have so diligently stood by me in this time of crisis.
As you already know by now, on June 30, 2005, I was transferred from Leavenworth Facility, to Terre Haute USP. The reason for my transfer, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons Administrative staff was that the Leavenworth Facility was downgraded from maximum security level to medium, and therefore I could not remain at Leavenworth due to my illegal sentencing and consequent maximum security rank.
I was transferred without notification to my attorney, Barry Bachrach, and my family. Upon my arrival to Terre Haute I was placed in solitary confinement and was told that I would remain in solitary confinement until my personal file arrived. My personal file arrived, but I remain in solitary confinement allegedly for security reasons.
I am confined to a cell that is 8’X 8’, it has a window that is covered from the outside with an elaborate shield that allows me to see 2-3 inches of the sky out of the top and 2-3 inches of the ground. All prisoners are supposed to get at least one hour of sunlight or outdoors and so I am taken from my cell to what is called a Recreation Room (Rec Cage), and the only sun or outdoors that I see is from some windows high up in this large room with a few air holes in them. I am able to walk up and down and this fulfills the one hour of sunlight or outdoors recreation time.
Whatever the system’s logic is, it seems that I won’t stay in Terre Haute for much longer and will be transferred again. I do not know when and where, nor do I know if this cruel game will be over after another transfer. After all, removal and relocation have been used to break our people from the beginning of this country’s history. This keeps my Defense Committee from taking the necessary steps to re-establish an office, but they are doing everything they can to help me in this most precarious and uncertain situation.
Before this situation developed, I asked Russ Redner to be the National/International Executive Director of the LPDC. Russ is a brother from our original Northwest AIM crew, a long time ally, and one of the original founders of the LPDC. I have trusted Russ with my life many times and he’s proven himself at every turn. I want him to be the last person I ever have to ask to guide the LPDC, and as such I have given him full authority to do whatever is necessary to prevent problems that have plagued us in the past from ever surfacing again. He and his wife, Paula, bring a renewed energy to the LPDC. It is essential that Russ, Barry Bachrach, Mike Kuzma, and the new team at the LPDC be supported so they can work most effectively to achieve my freedom and accomplish the things that need to be done for my people.
I have confidence that all of you who truly support me will extend your vote of confidence to Russ and my new team.A month in solitary is beginning to take a toll on me but your letters give me much hope and encouragement. Many of you have written, e-mailed and called USP Terre Haute, and other organizations. This has brought some improvement to my solitary confinement. I am now getting my medications on a daily basis, I can write out, I am receiving my mail, and I am allowed one phone call a month. I am allowed contact visits for those persons authorized on my visiting list. The contact visit is restricted to a two hour period, and is conducted through a glass pane and a phone. I am allowed to visit with my attorney without those restrictions.
At this time I am asking that you continue to call/write/e-mail the contacts below requesting that my security level be downgraded to medium due to my health, age and good behavior and that I be transferred to a medium security institution with all my hard earned prisoner privileges restored. In case I am transferred please add the new facility (keep checking our official website: http://www.leonardpeltier.org/) to your contact list and ask them to respect my human rights and prisoner privileges.
Again, I thank you for your support and prayers and hope that I may one day soon be among you.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,Leonard Peltier
CONTACT LIST:
U.S. Penitentiary4700 Bureau Road SouthTerre Haute, IN 47802 Phone-812-244-4400; mailto:Fax----812-244-4789THP/EXECASSISTANT@BOP.GOVFederal Bureau of Prisons 320 First Street NW. Washington, DC 20534 202-307-3198info@bop.gov
Amnesty International5 Penn Plaza – 14th Floor New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-807-8400 Fax: 212-463-9193 / 212-627-1451 admin-us@aiusa.org
Human Rights Watch350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floorNew York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: 1-(212) 290-4700, Fax: 1-(212) mailto:736-1300hrwnyc@hrw.org
Senate Judiciary Committee:Arlen Specter, Chairman711 Hart BuildingWashington, DC 20510 Tel: 202-224-4254
Senator Patrick Leahy, Ranking Member433 Russell Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510(202) 224-4242senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
Senator Edward Kennedy317 Russell Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510202/224-4543 FAX: 202/224-2417
Senator Joseph Biden201 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5042 Fax: 202-224-0139
Senator Dianne FeinsteinUnited States Senate331 Hart Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510Phone: (202) 224-3841Fax: (202) 228-3954
Senator Richard Durbin332 Dirksen Senate Bldg.Washington, DC 20510Phone: (202) 224-2152Fax: (202) 228-0400
Senator Herb Kohl330 Hart Senate Office BuildingUnited States SenateWashington, D.C. 20510Phone: (202) 224-5653Fax: (202) 224-9787
Sen. Charles E. Schumer313 Hart Senate BuildingWashington, DC 20510Phone: 202-224-6542Fax: 202-228-3027TDD: 202-224-0420
Congressional Judiciary Committee:Honorable John Conyers, Jr. 2426 Rayburn Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-5126John.Conyers@mail.house.gov
Honorable Robert C. Scott 1201 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-8351Fax: (202) 225-8354bobby.scott@mail.house.gov
Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee 2435 Rayburn Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3816
Honorable Maxine Waters2344 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515202-225-2201 phone202-225-7854 fax
Honorable Martin Meehan2229 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3411Fax: (202) 226-0771TTY: (202) 225-1904
Honorable Bill Delahunt 2454 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3111Fax: (202) 225-5658William.Delahunt@mail.house.gov
Honorable Anthony Weiner 1122 Longworth House Office Building Washington DC 20515 (202) 225-6616weiner@mail.house.gov
United Nations:Louise Arbour, U.N. High Commissioner for Human RightsUnited Nations Office at Geneva1211 Geneva 10SwitzerlandFax: 41-22-917-9022E-mail: tb-petitions@ohchr.org
U.N. Working Group on Indigenous PopulationsUnited Nations Office at Geneva1211 Geneva 10Switzerland Email: WGindigenous@ohchr.orgFax: 41-22-917-9008
The Special Rapporteur on human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples: Mr. Rodolfo StavenhagenHis contact person is: Pablo Espiniella, Human Rights Officer: Tel. 41-22-917-9413 Fax 41-22-917-9008; email: indigenous@ohchr.org
U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detentionsc/o Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human RightsCH-1211, Geneva 10SwitzerlandFax: 41-22- 917-9006
*FREE LEONARD PELTIER!**FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!**http://www.leonardpeltier.org*/*http://www.peltiersupport.org*
