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EXECUTIEVE
CLEMENCY
UITVOERENDE
CLEMENTIE
Men
stelt meermaals ,en terecht, de vraag : Wat
is Executive Clemency ?
Er
zijn verschillende vormen van Executive
Clemency, waaronder: pardon, herziening van de straf en kwijtschelding van de straf .
De president
heeft enkel de macht om clementie toe te staan in federale strafbare
misdrijven.
De Pardon
Attorney maakt de aanbeveling van het US Department of Justice (DOJ) klaar
voor de president die uiteindelijk het laatste woord heeft.
De
Clemency die gevraagd wordt voor Leonard Peltier gaat over :Herziening van de straf en geen Pardon.
Een president kan ofwel de straftijd
verminderen of Leonard Peltier onmiddellijk vrijlaten gezien de tijd die hij
reeds heeft uitgezeten.
Een
Pardon daarentegen kan enkel toegekend worden wanneer een gevangene
vrijgelaten werd en 5 jaar lang geen strafbare feiten gepleegd heeft .
Voor
President Bill Clinton in 2001 zijn ambtstermijn beëindigde ,verkoos hij met
het verzoek om clementie niets te doen. De
petitie bleef hangende.
Tot
de laatste week van zijn regering, George W.Bush de Leonard Peltiers petitie
voor Clementie afwees.
De
beslissing en de macht om een straf ,opgelegd door het federaal gerechtshof te
herzien ,ligt in de handen van de president en enkel en alleen bij de
president.
WAT KUNNEN WIJ DOEN:
1.
teken de petitie voor clementie
voor Leonard Peltier
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/peltier_clemency2008/
2.
Schrijf, fax en stuur e-mails naar het Witte House.
°
Vermijd politieke argumenten
°
Debateer niet over de complexe details van de zaak Peltier. Maar focus op het
volgende:
#
Gelijke rechten. Leonard Peltiers
speciale behandeling had het effect dat zijn voorwaardelijke vrijheid
en toekenning van Executieve Clementie niet werden behandeld.
Dit
is een grove schending van het concept van rechtvaardigheid en gelijke rechten.
#
Peltiers Humanitaire verdiensten, zie:
http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/humanitarian.htm
#
Leonards Gezondheid (zie in de voorbeeld-brief onderaan)
#
De impact die zijn opsluiting heeft op Leonards familie.
CONTACT INFORMATIE
President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
e-mail
: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments
VOORBEELD BRIEF
Onderstaande brief aan Obama kan gebruikt worden:
Printen- datum invullen en ondertekenen.
President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
(datum)
Dear President Obama:
If you, as President, truly seek freedom and justice
for all you must act to right the wrongs committed by our government in years
gone by. Begin by granting Executive Clemency to Leonard Peltier.
Leonard Peltier, an innocent man, was convicted for
the 1975 shooting deaths of two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
U.S. prosecutors have repeatedly admitted that they did not and cannot prove
Peltier's guilt and the appellate courts have cited numerous instances of
investigative and prosecutorial misconduct in this case. As late as
November 2003, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged that "
Much
of the governments behavior at the Pine Ridge Reservation and its prosecution
of Leonard Peltier is to be condemned. The government withheld
evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed."
The courts claim they lack the power to right this
wrong. But, as President, you can.
After careful consideration of the facts in Leonard
Peltier's case, I have concluded that Leonard Peltier does not represent a risk
to the public. First, Leonard Peltier has no prior convictions and has
advocated for non-violence throughout his prison term. Furthermore, Leonard
Peltier has been a model prisoner. He has received excellent evaluations from
his work supervisors on a regular basis. He continues to mentor young Native
prisoners, encouraging them to lead clean and sober lives. He has used his time
productively, disciplining himself to be a talented painter and an expressive
writer. Although Leonard Peltier maintains that he did not kill the agents, he
has openly expressed remorse and sadness over their deaths.
Most admirably, Leonard Peltier contributes regular
support to those in need. He donates his paintings to charities including
battered women's shelters, half way houses, alcohol and drug treatment
programs, and Native American scholarship funds. He also coordinates an annual
gift drive for the children of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservationa successful
program that, in 2006, expanded to include other reservations throughout the
country.
A six-time Nobel nominee, Leonard Peltier is widely
recognized in the human rights community for his good deeds and in turn has won
several human rights awards including but not limited to the North Star
Frederick Douglas Award; Federation of Labour (Ontario, Canada) Humanist of the
Year Award; Human Rights Commission of Spain International Human Rights Prize;
and 2004 Silver Arrow Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Leonard Peltier is over 67 years old and his health is
deteriorating. He has suffered a stroke which left him partially blind in
one eye. For many years, Peltier had a seriously debilitating jaw
condition which left him unable to chew properly and caused consistent pain and
headaches. Today, Leonard Peltier continues to suffer from diabetes, high
blood pressure, and a heart condition, as well as emerging conditions. He
risks blindness, kidney failure, stroke, and certainly premature death given
his diet, living conditions, and health care.
Peltier has served his time. Even by the
government's own definition, he has already been imprisoned for a
lifetime. In that time, he has missed the simplest things of ordinary
lifehaving dinner with friends, taking walks in the woods, gardening,
children's laughter, dogs barking, the feel of rain on his face, the sound of
birds singing... winter and summer and spring and fall. He has missed seeing
his children and grandchildren grow up. They suffer, too. Leonard Peltier
is now a great-grandfather. How many more generations must suffer this
tragedy?
I say enough is enough, Mr. President. Do the
right thing. Grant Executive Clemency to Leonard Peltier right away.
Thank you for giving fair consideration to Leonard
Peltier.
Sincerely,
Signature (handtekening)
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