Leonard Peltier #89637-132

                                       U.S. Penitentiary - Leavenworth
                                                         P.O. Box 1000
                                        Leavenworth, Kansas 66048-1000

                                                         July 21, 2003


     Greetings Sisters, Brothers, Friends and Supporters,

     I hope this letter finds you in excellent health and good spirits.

     I want to thank you, friends, for your unwavering support. My
     feelings of happiness and love ... well, you can't know how good
     it feels to know that, after nearly 28 years, you're still with
     me. (smile) Thank you.

     I have good news. Oral arguments will be heard on September 19,
     2003, on an appeal to the United States 10th Circuit Court of
     Appeals of the denial of my 1999 Habeas Corpus petition. For the
     first time, my legal team will be able to argue in a circuit other
     than the one in which I was convicted and where every subsequent
     appeal has been denied. The legal team is further heartened by the
     10th Circuit Court's decision to hear oral arguments in this
     appeal. We consider this an opportunity for a fair and objective
     review of my petition.

     What is this appeal about? I seek to overturn the U.S. Parole
     Commission's refusal to even consider me for parole until December
     2008. The normal Commission guideline for prisoners convicted of
     homicide offenses is 200+ months served. This means that I should
     have been released from prison over one decade ago. The
     Commission, however, has repeatedly refused to consider setting a
     parole date until 2008 -- when I will have served almost double
     the normal time. The Parole Commission explains its outrageous
     departure from its own guidelines by saying that I was involved in
     an "ambush" of the two FBI agents, and "executed" them at point
     blank range after the agents had been incapacitated. However, the
     Commission's argument is not supported by (1) my convictions,
     which the courts accept as having been based on an aiding and
     abetting theory; (2) other 8th Circuit Court of Appeals decisions
     on post-conviction petitions; and (3) the body of evidence before
     the Commission. The Commission's position is further undermined by
     the evidence exonerating me that the government improperly
     withheld at trial.

     This appeal is not all we're working on. My legal team is
     examining all of the documents we've obtained from the U.S.
     government in the past year. We will, of course, continue our
     lawsuits to obtain the remaining documents still being withheld in
     my case. To find the evidence that will set me free, we hope to be
     able to use computers to analyze all of these documents. So, as
     you can see, there are other legal strategies we want to pursue
     should my Denver appeal be denied.

     I can win my freedom, but I need your help to make it happen. We
     need funds for lawyers' travel expenses, materials development,
     public education efforts, event and public appearance costs, as
     well as for the purchase of hardware and software to assist with
     the document analysis project. A special fund has been established
     to meet these needs. Please partner with us to end the injustice.
     Contribute what you can. Throw down the blanket. No amount is too
     small. Please mail your donation to the

          Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC)
          P.O. Box 583
          Lawrence, Kansas 66044-0583

     For more information on my appeal and other legal strategies
     currently underway, please don't hesitate to contact the LPDC.
     Call 1-785-842-5774 or send an e-mail to
     lpdc@freeleonardpeltier.org.

     Stand for justice! Bring me home.

     Mitakuye Oyasin.

     In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,



     Leonard Peltier





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