International Indian Treaty Council

     CONSEJO INTERNACIONAL DE TRATADOS INDIOS

“WORKING FOR THE RIGHTS AND RECOGNITION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES"
   
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STATEMENT OF LEONARD PELTIER

 

Aho my friends and supporters with the Treaty Council,

 

I want to thank you all very much for the support you have given me over the years as I sit in solitary confinement and reflect over the past month’s events, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude to 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 Facility. I was transferred without a 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/ information has arrived but I remain in solitary confinement for security reasons.

 

I am presently confined to a cell that is approximately 8’X8’ that 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 you see is from some windows High in this large Recreation Room ( Rec Cage) with some air holes in them. I am able to walk up and down in the Recreation Room and this fulfills the one hour of sunlight or outdoors recreation time.  A month in solitary is beginning to take a toll on me but your letters give me much hope and encouragement.

 

I wish to thank you very much for considering a resolution on my behalf. The resolution is a great piece of work and I thank all of you who had a hand in preparing it.  It heartens me to know that the Council works hard on seeking justice not only for me, but on issues affecting all of our peoples. I had hoped to have my attorney, Barry Bachrach, make a presentation to you updating you on the things that are being done on my behalf and how your support is needed now more than ever. However, it is essential I meet with him and so he will be here with me on Friday, the day that my issues will be discussed. Yet, he has indicated to me that he is there any time you need him to assist in my issues as well as in any way you need him to help our people.

 

 Len Foster, my long time spiritual advisor and good friend, has offered to read my statement to you. He is a remarkable man and I am blessed to have him thank you for thinking of me and supporting me. Someday soon I hope that I will be able to personally thank you all for your support and work hard for our people. That day will come soon if we come together and work as one. Only through combining our strengths will our people become stronger and achieve what is rightfully ours- justice, fairness, and the ability to live our traditional lives without discrimination and the racism that runs rampant in the world.  We can do this. We have powerful voices that must be heard.

 

There are many things being done for me by the legal team and the LPDC. The LPDC has recently been reconstituted and I believe that we have a powerful team with whom you can all work. I have asked Russ Redner, to be the Executive Director of the LPDC, both Nationally and Internationally. Russ is a brother and has been a long time ally and is one of the original people to create the LPDC. Please work with him and support him! He and his wife, Paula, bring a renewed energy to the LPDC. It is essential that Russ, my legal team, Barry Bachrach and Mike Kuzma, and the new team at the LPDC be supported so that I may finally become free and accomplish the things that need to be done for my people.

 

You are all important wonderful people. Go forward and push for the rights to which are people are entitled, for the way of life we deserve. It will be done. Together we will do it. I pray to join you and become part of the oneness which will empower us to achieve the goals you have established and will establish.

 

 

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,

 

Leonard Peltier

 

 

 

Action Alerts /

Acciones Urgentes:

News Release: Canadian Parliament Calls for Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, April 9, 2008 (PDF 51K)

The Ngäbe Indigenous peoples of Panama request urgent international support, March 31st 2008

Solicitud de ayuda internacional del pueblo Ngobe de charco la pava Urgente, 31 marzo, 2008

IITC Urgent Action Communication to the United Nations Human Rights System: Raids and arrests against Maori by the New Zealand government, October 17th, 2007 (PDF 48K)

March 7th, 2008: United Nations Body Expresses Concerns about Racism in the United States, Calls for the US to apply the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (PDF)

 

Important Updates

Noticias al Dia:

2008 International Indian Treaty Conference, Guatemala

SYMPOSIUM ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES” Monday April 21st, 2008, during UNPFII7 (PDF 555K)

Opening Statement of the Indigenous Caucus, 11th Meeting of Negotiations in the Quest for Points of Consensus, Organization of American States April 14th, 2008

Declaración de Apertura del Conclave de los Pueblos Indígenas XI Reunión de Negociaciones para la Búsqueda de Puntos de Consensos Organización de los Estados Americanos 14 de abril de 2008

Indigenous Peoples' Caucus, UN Permanent Forum on April 19th & 20th , 2008 (PDF 90K)

Web link for Longest Walk 2

IITC Human Rights Forum” may 9th 2008, Southern Illinois University (PDF 244K)

NEW! IITC Power point: “Indigenous Peoples’ Advocacy for a Rights and Culturally-based Approach to Food Security”, April 3, 2008 (9.4 MB PowerPoint Presentation)

Treaty Conferences/2008 Guatemala, “Provisional Conference Agenda” (PDF 28K)

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and the Right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent: The Framework For a New Mechanism for Reparations, Restitution and Redress, submitted by the IITC to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Seventh Session (UNPFII7) (PDF 80K)

NEW save the dates, 34th Anniversary Treaty Conference, Chimaltenango Guatemala, June 19th – 22nd 2008 (PDF 448K)

Aparte las fechas, Asamblea Anual XXXIV del Consejo Internacional de Tratados Indios junio 19 a 22 de 2008, Chimaltenango, Guatemala (PDF 138K)

Report of the North America Preparatory meeting for UNPFII7, Vancouver Canada, February 22nd and 23rd 2008 (PDF 168K)

Hawaiian Land Rights decision by Hawaiian Supreme Court, Nation of Hawaii calls upon Legislature to "Cease and Desist", February 8, 2008

Indigenous Shadow Report to UN CERD highlights Racism by United States, February 5th 2008

Peoples’ Shadow Report to the CERD on the United States submitted by IITC January 2008 (PDF 400 KB)

New IITC Brochure

33rd annual Alcatraz Sunrise Gathering, November 22nd 2007 (PDF 209K)

FINAL REPORT FROM THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ BORDER SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS II SAN XAVIER DISTRICT TOHONO O’ODHAM NATION NOVEMBER 7-10, 2007

Live Web Casts from the Indigenous Peoples’ Border Summit II, San Xavier, Arizona November 7 – 10, 2007

PUBLIC FORUM, Local Indigenous Environmental and Sacred Sites Issues, Saturday, November 17 U of A College of Law, Tucson AZ

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food to UN Human Rights Council and General Assembly , May 2007 (see page 44 on Indigenous Peoples in California and Alaska, USA) PDF 243K

Alberta Chiefs of Treaty 6, 7 & 8 Express Disappointment Re: Canadian Federal Government "Throne Speech", October 19th 2007 (PDF 50K)

AGROQUIMICOS: LA AMENAZA A NUESTRA SALUD COMUNITARIA Y AL MEDIO AMBIENTE/ Pesticides: The Threat to our Community Health and the Environment, AHOME, SINALOA, Mexico, Octubre 26 - 28 2007, October 26 – 28, 2007 (PSD 52K)

IITC Training Manual for filing “Shadow Reports” for the review of the United States by the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), October 17th, 2007 (PDF 578K)

IITC Human Rights Training Novmeber 8th 2007, during the Indigenous Peoples’ Border Rights Summitt II, San Xavier Arizona! (PDF 79K)

UN Declaration for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the UN General Assembly September 13th, 2007!

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as adopted by the UN General Assembly September 13th 2007 (PDF 56k)

Declaracion de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los Pueblos Indigenas, adoptada por la Asemblea General el 13 de septiembre de 2007 (PDF 60K) 

IITC Statement on the Adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, September 16th 2007 (PDF 200K)

US Statement against the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, September 13th 2007 (PDF 53K)

CSD 15th session, 2007, April 30 - May 11, 2007

Link for the COMMITTEE FOR THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, Seventieth session, 19 February – 9 March 2007,  Concluding observations re: CANADA/ COMITÉ PARA LA ELIMINACIÓN DE LA DISCRIMINACIÓN RACIAL, Septuagésimo período de sesiones, 19 de febrero – 9 de marzo de 2007,  Observaciones finales sobre CANADA

Appointment of Indigenous UNPFII members (2008-2010) announced, April 20, 2007

Treaty Council News Winter 2007 (PDF 1MB)

IITC Submission to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights for her study on the Human Right to Water, April 15th, 2007 (PDF 136k)

Pesticides are Poison” booklet now available online

Los Plaguicidas son Venenos” manual ahora disponible en internet

UN Web page, Indigenous Peoples and Treaties, the UN Treaty Study Expert Seminars