Supporters of Imprisoned Native American Activist Leonard Peltier Continue Fight for His Parole Release

Interview with David Hill, director of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Native American Leonard Peltier is in his 28th year of imprisonment, convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the murder of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Lakota reservation in South Dakota in 1975. Over the years, efforts to win justice for Peltier have revealed gross misconduct on the part of the U.S. government and its agents in this case. These include coercive measures taken against a learning disabled Native American woman who perjured herself by claiming she saw Peltier shoot the agents; withholding of thousands of pages of documents; and suppression of exculpatory evidence that showed Peltier's gun did not fire the bullets that killed the agents. Several years ago, the prosecutor admitted that the government couldn't prove who shot the agents. The U.S. is now holding Peltier for "aiding and abetting" the homicide. But for that crime, he would have been eligible for parole years ago.

In September, Peltier's attorneys appealed the government's denial of parole before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. There, activists organized a march in support of Peltier and held a conference featuring long-time American Indian Movement leaders.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with David Hill, director of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, about the latest developments in Peltier's case and about the recent arrest of Bill Janklow, South Dakota's congressman and the state's former governor, attorney general and prosecutor, who has been closely linked with Peltier's case. Janklow was recently charged with manslaughter after his car crashed into a motorcyclist, killing him.

Contact the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee at (785) 842-5774 or visit their website at www.leonardpeltier.org for a history of Peltier's case, and a sample letter to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals requesting parole for the Native American activist.

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"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
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