Title: ever read this book?
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From: "LPDC" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 18:48:22 -0500
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: PELTIER'S LAWYER NEEDS HELP
PELTIER'S LAWYER NEEDS HELP
Dear Friends,
Many of you have come to be familiar with Attorney Jennifer Harbury, who
joined Leonard Peltier's legal and political defense team over two years
ago. Many of you are also familiar with her background and know that she
has done extensive human rights work in Guatemala, where she married a Mayan
resistance leader who was later disappeared, tortured and murdered by the
Guatemalan army in conjunction with the CIA
(read SEARCHING FOR EVERARDO by
Jennifer Harbury for more information). ??????????????????????
Since then, she has filed lawsuits
against the CIA and the Guatemalan army. One of these cases is currently
heating up, and her key witness and others are receiving death threats.
It is our policy to use this list for Peltier actions/information only, but
all of us are quite concerned about Jennifer and her witness, and Leonard
Peltier has asked us to make an exception by asking supporters to help out,
if at all possible. She is asking for calls to the Guatemalan Embassy.
Details are explained below. Jennifer Harbury has committed extensive time
and energy to the Peltier case and she helped bring it to a new level of
awareness and concern during the clemency phase. We want to return the
support to her now in her time of need. Thank you for your understanding.
In Solidarity,
LPDC
SECOND URGENT ACTION : HARBURY/BAMACA CASE
THREATS TO KEY WITNESS AND HIS CHILDREN CONTINUE
Dear Friends,
I am writing to let everyone know that we need more extremely urgent calls
and letters to the Guatemalan Embassy on behalf of Otoniel De La Roca
Mendoza and his children. Unfortunately, the threats and intimidation
against him and his family are escalating, and I fear that very soon someone
will be very seriously injured or worse.
For those of you who did not see my last alert, Otoniel was a key witness in
the recent Inter-American Court trial of the Guatemalan army in my husband's
torture and murder. We won that case last December, with a 100 page
unanimous international decision. Needless to say, the army was not amused,
nor are they happy about our coming reparations hearing. Since they cannot
undo the judgement, they are looking for revenge, and they want to warn all
future witnesses to remain silent.
Otoniel was himself captured by the Guatemalan military and severely
tortured. Among other abuses, he was "hooded" ( a plastic bag filled with
pesticides was placed over his head to induce asphyxiation), drowned, beaten
with a bat and given electric shocks. Then the army kidnapped his two small
children from a church refuge and brought them to the base where he was
being tortured. His mother, father , wife, and sister had already been
"disappeared" by the military. During his time as a prisoner, he saw
Everardo in military hands, being seriously abused. He was also able to
learn the real names of many high level officers in the G-2 inner death
squad. He shared all of this information with the UN Truth Commission, as
well as MINUGUA, and he was a key witness in my OAS trial.
Since Otoniel arrived here in 1997 and began to share his information, the
threats have been grim. When he first testified to the Inter American
Commission in 1998 in Washington D.C., he received frantic calls from
friends at home reporting that army officers had come by to leave messages
for him, warning that he should think about the safety of his friends back
home before he testified. He had the courage to speak out anyway, and has
continued to do so. Since then, with a fair amount of difficulty, we have
been able to bring his current wife and children and younger siblings here.
However, an ex-wife remained in Guatemala with two young sons.
Once the court ruling came out, the pressure began to escalate again. A good
friend fled Guatemala in December after repeated military "visits". In
April, someone broke into my home in Texas, stealing only the laptop and not
the money, cd player or credit cards, then called Otoniel from San Antonio,
threatening to kill him and his children for what he had done. (As you will
recall, an Amnesty representative received death threats in this time frame
because of her editorial on the Gerardi trial). Then another call came to
Otoniel's home.with someone in a frightening voice declaring in Spanish that
the call would be taped. They hung up. Meanwhile, back in Guatemala,
menacing cars have been parking near the home of Otoniel's ex wife ,
watching her and her two sons. Just a few days ago she was followed into her
neighborhood by an obvious military person and told she would be seeing
them.
Otoniel believes that something drastic will soon occur, both to make an
example out of him and this silence other potential witnesses, as well as to
punish. We are both very fearful for the safety of his sons back in
Guatemala. Our State Department tells me a visa could take nearly a month to
obtain.
PLEASE CALL THE EMBASSY AS WELL AS YOUR CONGRESSPERSON ABOUT THIS AND DEMAND
THAT ALL OF THE WITNESSES AND THEIR FAMILIES BE LEFT ALONE
AND THAT THEIR RIGHTS BE RESPECTED.
I realize that the thousands of calls everyone has made throughout all these
years have been exhausting and burdensome. But they have saved lives,
including mine, The telephone system does work.
Some of you have asked whether or not the police and FBI here have been
informed. The answer is yes, we have reported to all agencies. But do not
let the Guatemalan Embassy off the hook with this red herring. They used to
say they would free Everardo if only I would tell them where he might be.
This is just part of their style and strategy of distraction. It is not up
to the US law enforcement agencies to locate and identify Guatemalan death
squad members who are traveling in this country, using public phones, and
false names. The Guatemalan army knows full well who these people are. It is
up to the Guatemalan army to reign them in.
Please ask you Congresspersons to call the Guatemalan Ambassador as well.
GUATEMALAN EMBASSY TELEPHONE : 202-745-4952
ADDRESS 2220 R St. NW WASHINGTON DC 20008
U.S. CONGRESS SWITCHBOARD 202-224-3121
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