https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4X3f44LgFg&ab_channel=MichaelMoore
Michael Moore Reads His Poem for Leonard Peltier - Beacon Theatre - NYC - 12/14/12
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President Trump: Please send Leonard Peltier home | Opinion
Leonard Peltier talks in an interview at the U.S. Penitentiary in
Leavenworth, Kan., in this April 29, 1999, file photo. Peltier, now 76,
convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1977 in the 1975 shooting
deaths of two FBI agents, has maintained his innocence. Numerous appeals
have failed to overturn the convictions or order a parole hearing.
Several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International,
have called for Peltier's release. (JOE LEDFORD/AP)As President Trump’s term in office winds down and he looks toward his legacy, granting clemency and pardons, a Native American prisoner in Florida prays for compassionate release.
Leonard Peltier has been in federal prison for over 45 years. He has accumulated over 20 years of good behavior time. Combined, he has served the equivalent of more than six decades behind bars, and is currently imprisoned at Coleman United States Penitentiary in Sumter County, northwest of Orlando. It’s the same prison that former congresswoman Corrine Brown was released from in April because her age made her a high risk for coronavirus.
Peltier is two years older than Brown. He has the normal problems of someone at age 76, compounded by the unhealthy life of a prisoner. He recently underwent emergency open heart surgery, has lost 90% of the sight in one eye due to a stroke, and has high blood pressure, a very concerning abdominal aortic aneurysm and diabetes.
For these reasons, Pope Francis and Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami have called for his compassionate release. Through the years, religious leaders worldwide have advocated for the same, including Archbishop Tutu of South Africa, the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Buddhist Monk Thích Nhất Hạnh, and Saint Mother Theresa.
Presidents Clinton, two Bushes and Obama passed on giving Peltier his freedom. But given 45 years in jail, compassionate leaders, musicians and artists have rallied to this cause, all agreeing that, guilty or not, it is time for Peltier to go home to die in peace. The National Congress of American Indians has called for his compassionate release, as has the World Council of Churches and many other religious bodies.
The release of Leonard Peltier — if it were to happen — would send a message of mercy and decency to all the Indian nations up and down the Americas during this time of division.
Forty-five years ago, Amnesty International called the Peltier trial “deeply flawed” and called for a new trial on two counts of first-degree murder of federal agents. Two other Native Americans accused of committing the crime with Peltier were found not guilty in a separate trial, and witnesses in Peltier’s trial later recanted their testimony. Although the time has passed for a new trial, 45 years in prison is enough.
A new year should be a time of renewal. This is the season when we break bread with those we have differences with, in hopes for better understanding going forward. It is a time for correcting rights and wrongs.
Peltier’s story is a wrong waiting to be righted. Vengeance cannot and must never be sought once justice is served. The only reason for keeping him now is to carry out a death sentence he did not receive.
Jack Healey is the director of the Human Rights Action Center in Washington D.C.
Human Rights Leader Jack Healey Reveals the Truth about Celebrities, Government Leaders and Human Rights on September 16
Create Your Future presents a thundering story of civil rights, anti-apartheid and anti-war
Sep 02, 2015, 09:17 ET
WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Aung San Suu Kyi, U2, Judd Apatow, Sting, Nelson Mandela, Chris Hani, Dick Gregory, John Lewis, Muhammad Ali, Fannie Lou Hamer, Phyllis Naidoo, and James Groppi are just some of the names Jack Healey weaves together in his memoir being released on September 16 by Snail Press. The 77-year-old Healey has confronted the human rights abuses of governments for over 50 years, and is still actively campaigning through Human Rights Action Center, (HRAC) a nonprofit he founded in 1994.
In addition to raising millions of dollars to stop world hunger, Healey helped move the topic of human rights from closed-door diplomatic negotiations to widespread awareness, public debate, and direct citizen action. As Executive Director of Amnesty International USA for 12 years, he produced with Bill Graham some of the largest musical events in our time, all over the world; from Turkey to Chile to Zimbabwe, using over 130 musicians to spread the message of human rights. John G. (Jack) Healey has received many accolades across industries:
- Named "Mr. Human Rights" by U.S. News and World Report
- ABC World News Person of the Week
- 6 entertainment industry awards
- 7 honorary degrees from Universities in the US
For a full list of Healey's distinctions, please visit his LinkedIn page
Having worked for the Catholic Church, Freedom From Hunger, Peace Corps, and Amnesty International, Healey says, "I wrote this book for people everywhere, from all walks of life, so they can see they don't need money or power to live a fulfilling life and make a difference in the world."
Create Your Future is being published by Snail Press. Cover artwork is by Shepard Fairey. All proceeds from the book benefit HRAC. For advance copies, please email info@snailpress.com.
The Human Rights Action Center http://www.humanrightsactioncenter.org/ is a voice for the voiceless and an advocate for human rights for all of the world. Founded in 1994 as a non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3), organization, HRAC partners with leaders in the creative arts world to focus awareness on areas of critical importance in the struggle for human rights and lend a hand to some of the less-publicized cases of human rights abuse and neglect.
CONTACT: Jack Healey, 1-202-9573289
SOURCE Human Rights Action Center
Related Links
http://www.humanrightsactioncenter.org/ 451 First Street, SE
Washington, D.C., 20003
USA
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