Leonard Peltier's Statement on the Extradition of John Graham

Leonard Peltier #89637-132
USP-Leavenworth
PO Box 1000
Leavenworth, Kansas 66048-1000
December 6, 2004

Sisters, Brothers, Friends, and Supporters,

Today, the U.S. government will seek John Graham's
extradition to stand trial in South Dakota for the murder of
Anna Mae Pictou Aquash.

I urge all of you to closely monitor the proceedings and
ensure that Canadian authorities thoroughly examine all the
evidence presented by the U.S. government in this case.

Never forget the role of U.S. law enforcement officials in
incidents that took place in the 1970s on the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) tirelessly tried to prejudice the fair trial rights of
American Indian Movement leaders charged with serious
crimes during that turbulent period and knowingly
presented false evidence to illegally obtain my extraction
from Canada in December 1976.

You may be thinking "That was then, this is now." Yes,
many things have changed since the 1970s, but one thing
has not changed, I assure you: Indians in the U.S. continue
to struggle against the most dangerous, well-funded,
strongest military and political organization in the world. I
know the behavior of the FBI and other government
officials has not changed. I fear that Graham will not
receive a fair hearing in Canada or a fair trial in the U.S.,
anymore than I did.

To the Canadian officials I say, justice cannot be achieved
if a full investigation into the FBI's role in Annie Mae's
death is not included in the inquiry. Annie Mae's death was
the direct result of the FBI's activities on Pine Ridge. The
FBI told Anna Mae that they would see her dead within a
year if she did not cooperate with them, used their puppets
to spread rumors that Annie Mae was an informant when
she refused to cooperate, and mishandled the investigation
of her death. Your investigation must consider the fact that
the FBI's pathologist listed the cause of her death as
exposure, despite the obvious bullet hole in her head, and
Annie Mae's quick burial before a positive identification
could be made.

Your investigation also must include examination of FBI
Special Agent David Price who was very familiar with
Annie Mae's appearance and saw her body after it was first
recovered, yet failed to identify her. I believe he attempted
to cover up her murder. When this was no longer possible,
due to the findings of an independent pathologist, the FBI
issued a false press release implying that some of her own
people murdered Annie Mae because they believed she was
an informant.

Look for and find the truth. In so doing, remember that
officials of the U.S. violated your sovereignty in 1976 by
deceiving your courts and using you to wrongfully convict
an innocent man. Remember. And be vigilant. The First
Nations of the U.S. and Canada want justice for Anna Mae,
but also do not want an injustice done in her name.

Mitakuye Oyasin.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,


Leonard Peltier