Case of Leonard Peltier

Introduction by Standing Deer. Contains information about the case of Leonard Peltier and the international movement to free him. Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is a Native American activist and member of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Following a conflict at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Peltier fled to Hinton, Alberta, where he hid in a friend's cabin. On February 6, 1976, he was arrested and extradited from Canada based on an affidavit signed by Myrtle Poor Bear, a local Native American woman. She claimed to have been Peltier's girlfriend at the time and to have witnessed the murders. But, according to Peltier and others at the scene, Poor Bear did not know Peltier, nor was she present at the time of the shooting. She later confessed that she was pressured and threatened by FBI agents into giving the statements. Poor Bear attempted to testify about the FBI's intimidation at Peltier's trial; however, the judge barred her testimony on the grounds of mental incompetence. Peltier stood trial, and in 1977 he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first degree murder in the shooting of two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents during a 1975 conflict on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Peltier's supporters present him as a political prisoner, although his murder conviction has survived appeals in various courts. Amnesty International has expressed concern about the fairness of the proceedings. Numerous lawsuits have been filed on Peltier's behalf, but none have succeeded.

In Collection:

• Jim Campbell (Julie Thiers) Collection

Creator

• Colestino, Pio
• Miller, Arthur J., 1951-

Subject

• Anarchists
• Indigenous peoples
• American Indian Movement
• False testimony
• Trials, litigation, etc.
• United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Indians of North America--Government relations
• Political prisoners
• Anarchism
• Peltier, Leonard
• Prisoners of war
• Trials (Political crimes and offenses)
• Indians, Treatment of

Publisher

• Northwest Leoanrd Peltier Support Group; Refugio del Rio Grande; GDC-IWW-Tacoma

Language

• eng

Date created

• 1997

Resource type

• Text

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 25 pages ; 22 cm

Geographic coverage

• South Dakota--Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
• Canada
• Alberta
• South Dakota
• United States

Coordinates

• 60.10867, -113.64258
• 39.76, -98.5
• 52.28333, -117.469
• 44.50026, -100.25069
• 43.35288, -102.08893

Chronological coverage

• June 26, 1975

Physical repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Jim Campbell (Julie Thiers) Collection

Provenance

• Donor: Julie Thiers

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• booklets

Fonds title

• Jim Campbell fonds

Fonds identifier

• AR459

Is referenced by

• Finding aid for archival fonds: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/jim-campbell-fonds

Date digitized

• September 15, 2011

Technical note

• PDF. Digitized by CDW; metadata by GF and KD.

Rights

• Contact UVic Archives for access to the original, or ask UVic Archives to make a copy (fee for service). Patrons may look at the material through the Anarchism Digital Research Centre, but may not use images unless they contact UVic Archives.

DOI

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/eg03-rq42

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