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We are sad to announce that yesterday Leonard Peltier was denied parole. He was not only denied his freedom but was given a 15 year hit.

On September 12th, Peltier will be 65. It will be his 33rd birthday behind bars. Held captive for a crime he did not commit. Imprisoned because of his sense of duty to protect his people and their culture. Sadly, he is just one of many held in US prisons because of their determination to fight injustice.

the splitting the sky defense effort is a campaign to provide financial support to the splitting the sky support team.

background
on march 17, 2009, splitting the sky, also known as john boncore, was arrested in calgary while attempting to serve former president george w. bush with an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

splitting the sky was charged with "obstructing a peace officer" and was remanded over night before being released on a $500 surety. splitting the sky intends to fight the charges laid against him and asserts that under international law, any canadian citizen is permitted to affect a citizen's arrest against any war criminal on canadian soil, including george w. bush.

about splitting the sky
splitting the sky is a first nations activist of long pedigree and is most well known for his involvement in the 1971 prisoner uprising in attica state prison and his prominent position in the gustafson lake standoff in 1995.

more information about splitting the sky can be found on his wikipedia entry. splitting the sky maintains a blog detailing updates on his case and activism.

abc calgary's involvement
abc calgary will be making an initial cash contribution from our "war chest" fund to splitting the sky's support group. further fundraising efforts may be initiated as needed.

abc calgary supports splitting the sky but does not speak for or issue statements on his behalf.

calgary abc is announcing two new support campaigns.

splitting the sky
on march 17 splitting the sky (also known as john boncore) was arrested in calgary for attempting to serve former u.s. president george w. bush with a warrant for war crimes. he was charged with "obstructing a peace officer" and has been released on a $500 surety. splitting the sky intends to fight the charges.

abc calgary is committed to helping splitting the sky through acts of solidarity and financial assistance.

more information on splitting the sky can be found on his blog and wikipedia page.

mikhail miller
mikhail miller is an anti-racism activist who participated in the march 21 anti-racist action demonstration against the aryan guard in calgary. although mikhail has not been charged with any crime, he has been issued with $887 in bylaw tickets and fines. it is common practice in calgary for the police to 'ticket to death' activists they wish to harass. mikhail is commmitted to fighting the ticket charges.

abc calgary will be assisting mikhail financially for his lawyer fees to fight his bylaw charges.

for further details on these campaigns or abc calgary please contact abc calgary at abc-calgary@anarchistservices.ca

from ipsm.com:

On Thursday December 4th a Quebec judge sentenced Barriere Lake Acting Chief Benjamin Nottaway to forty-five days in jail, in addition to fifteen already served in pre-trial detention, for participating in peaceful blockades intended to draw attention to violations of Barriere Lake's rights by the Canadian and Quebec governments.

Barriere Lake has been demanding that Canada and Quebec honour signed agreements and that Canada appoint an observer to witness and respect the outcome of a new leadership selection in accordance with Barriere Lake's Customary Governance Code.

"It's shameful that the government of Quebec would rather throw me in jail than fulfill their legal obligations by implementing signed agreements," said Acting Chief Nottaway, a father of six who passed his twenty-eighth birthday in jail last Thursday. "Meanwhile, the Government of Canada continues to interfere in our internal affairs while trying to wash its hands of responsibility for this situation."

update: skylar williams has been granted bail and is out of barton street jail.

skylar williams is a 22 year-old six nations man currently facing several charges stemming from actions ocurring during the caledonia land claim where a u.s. border patrol vehicle was raided and documents concerning undercover police operatives were taken and distributed, and the assualt of a television camera crew where a video tape was taken. skylar is currently being held in the hamilton city jail (barton street jail) without bail

from the support committee:
Skylar Williams, a Mohawk Wolf from Six Nations has been held without bail at the Hamilton Barton St. Jail since the illegal arrests at Stirling Street September 19, 2007. Today we held a rally for him outside the jail where he has been in the "hole" for two days.

We have reason to believe if Skyler is harmed in anyway, we know he is the target of planned and deliberate threats and violence by jail institution staff members.

On Friday, October 12th, Mohawk spokesperson Shawn
Brant of Tyendinaga appeared in court to finalize the details of his
impending trial.

Released on bail after spending two months in pre-trial custody, Shawn
is currently facing a total of 9 charges in relation to two blockades,
one in April 2007, and the other as part of the Aboriginal National
Day of Action on June 29, 2007. Included in these charges are 6
"mischief" charges, which the Crown has elected to proceed on by
indictment.

The Ottawa-based Crown, Robert Morrison, has indicated that he intends
to seek a minimum of 2 years imprisonment per charge, for a minimum
sentence of 12 years in a federal penitentiary.