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Calls for clemency for Leonard Peltier are coming from Canada and the United States, and from around the world.
Toronto (04 Feb. 2015) — On February 6, the 22nd Annual Traditional Prayer Vigil and Feast Calling for the Freedom of Leonard Peltier is taking place at Toronto's COUNCIL FIRE Native Cultural Centre (click here for the poster). This year's event is taking place amid growing calls for U.S. President Obama to grant clemency for Leonard Peltier.
Leonard Peltier is a Native American man who has been in prison in the Unted States for the past 39 years. Despite evidence of law enforcement officers creating false evidence against Peltier, efforts to secure his freedom have been denied. An international movement, which includes the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), as well as a number of Nobel Peace Prize winners and celebrities, insists that it is time that Peltier be freed.
NUPGE has been a long-time supporter of the campaign on Leonard's behalf. The union played an important role in the 2000 campaign to convince former president Bill Clinton to grant clemency to Peltier.
Vigil in Toronto highlights Canadian complicity
For 22 consecutive years, the Leonard Peltier Defence Committee Canada (LPDCC) has organized the Vigil for Leonard Peltier in order to raise awareness and educate people on what happened to Leonard and to generations of peoples who defended their cultures, their lands and treaty rights.
The LPDCC points out that Leonard requested political asylum and safety in Canada, but he was denied. Today, Canada and world human rights bodies, including the UN and Amnesty International, are powerful voices for justice in our call for President Obama to grant Leonard clemency and unlock Leonard's prison cell.
The I Will video
Created by the U.S.-based Human Rights Action Center (HRAC), the video is part of the growing number of individuals and organizations supporting the call for clemency for Native American Leonard Peltier.
Native peoples across the United States have joined with HRAC, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, and other luminaries and organizations to bring Peltier’s case back to the public's attention. This is a partial list of participants in the campaign:
- Harry Belafonte
- Kris Kristofferson
- [the late Pete Seeger]
- members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe
- The National Congress of American Indians
- Wes Studi
- Chris Eyre
- Carlos Santana
- Jackson Browne
- Irene Bedard
- Peter Gabriel
- Michael Moore
- Chaske Spencer
- Chef Art Smith
- Tom Morello
More information:
22nd Annual Traditional Prayer Vigil for Leonard Peltier - Canada
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Canada
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE