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Russell Means addresses a rally for Leonard Peltier as Peltier's sister Betty Ann Peltier-Solano, left, listens outside the federal courthouse, Friday, Nov. 28, 2008, in Fargo, N.D. Peltier, 64, is serving life for the deaths of two FBI agents.Photo by Dave Wallis, The Forum, via the Associated Press

Peltier Supporters Protest at Courthouse

By the Associated Press

FARGO, N.D. — Dozens of Leonard Peltier's supporters gathered on Friday front of the federal courthouse in Fargo, where he was convicted more than 30 years ago in the execution-style killings of two federal agents.

Carrying signs that read, "Don't let Leonard die in prison," and "Peltier is innocent, FBI is guilty," the group heard from Peltier's sister, Betty Ann Peltier-Solano, who read a letter from her brother.

"My time of freedom is near," Peltier-Solano read from her brother's letter.

American Indian activist and actor Russell Means spoke at the rally, saying Peltier was wrongly convicted.

Peltier, serving two life sentences, become eligible for release early in 2009

Means urged the public to pressure federal officials to free Peltier when he becomes eligible for release early next year.

Means said he spoke to Peltier recently by phone.

"You can tell how lonesome he is," Means said. "He didn't want to get off the phone. It teared me up."

Peltier, 64, is serving two life sentences for the deaths of two FBI agents during a 1975 standoff near Oglala, S.D., on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler were shot in the head at point-blank range.

Peltier has claimed the FBI framed him, which the agency denies. His supporters have said he was treated unfairly because of his political activism.

Peltier has filed numerous appeals since he was convicted by a jury in Fargo in 1977.

Peltier has been shifted among several federal prisons in recent years, including Leavenworth, Kan., Terre Haute, Ind., and Lewisburg, Pa., where he currently is held. His relatives say he has a number of health problems including diabetes, arthritis and the loss of vision in one eye after suffering a minor stroke.