[IPSM] Leonard Peltier Statement on John Grahams' Extradition Hearing

[antoine libert]

Leonard Peltier #89637-132
USP-Leavenworth
PO Box 1000
Leavenworth, Kansas  66048-1000
December 6, 2004

Sisters, Brothers, Friends, and Supporters,

Today, the U.S. government will seek John Graham's extradition to stand
trial in South Dakota for he murder of Anna Mae Pictou Aquash.

I urge all of you to closely monitor the proceedings and ensure that
Canadian authorities  thoroughly examine all the evidence presented by the
U.S. government in this case.

Never forget the role of U.S. law enforcement officials in incidents that
took place in the 1970s on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.  The Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tirelessly tried to prejudice the fair trial
rights of American Indian Movement leaders charged with serious crimes
during that turbulent period and knowingly presented false evidence to
illegally obtain my extraction from Canada in December 1976.

You may be thinking "That was then, this is now."  Yes, many things have
changed since the 1970s, but one thing has not changed, I assure you:
Indians in the U.S. continue to struggle against the most dangerous,
well-funded, strongest military and political organization in the world.
I know the behavior of the FBI and other government officials has not
changed.  I fear that Graham will not receive a fair hearing in Canada or
a fair trial in the U.S., anymore than I did.

To the Canadian officials I say, justice cannot be achieved if a full
investigation into the FBI's role in Annie Mae's death is not included in
the inquiry.  Annie Mae's death was the direct result of the FBI's
activities on Pine Ridge.  The FBI told Anna Mae that they would see her
dead within a year if she did not cooperate with them, used their puppets
to spread rumors that Annie Mae was an informant when she refused to
cooperate, and mishandled the investigation of her death.  Your
investigation must consider the fact that the FBI's pathologist listed the
cause of her death as
exposure, despite the obvious bullet hole in her head, and Annie Mae's
quick burial before a positive identification could be made.

Your investigation also must include examination of FBI Special Agent
David Price who was very familiar with Annie Mae's appearance and saw her
body after it was first recovered, yet failed to identify her.  I believe
he attempted to cover up her murder.  When this was no longer possible,
due to the findings of an independent pathologist, the FBI issued a false
press release implying that some of her own people murdered Annie Mae
because they believed she was an informant.

Look for and find the truth.  In so doing, remember that officials of the
U.S. violated your sovereignty in 1976 by deceiving your courts and using
you to wrongfully convict an innocent man.  Remember.  And be vigilant.
The First Nations of the U.S. and Canada want justice for Anna Mae, but
also do not want an injustice done in her name.

Mitakuye Oyasin.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,


Leonard Peltier

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